Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Buys 14,110 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 306.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,721 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,110 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $627,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Masco by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,792 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,005,000 after purchasing an additional 15,591 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Masco by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 229,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,372,000 after purchasing an additional 18,140 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Masco by 264.5% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 18,219 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 13,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Masco by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 344,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,051,000 after purchasing an additional 21,165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $69.56 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $47.66 and a 12 month high of $78.94. The company has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Masco Company Profile

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.