Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Trimmed by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC cut its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,121 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,130 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,646 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,619 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in Masco by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its stake in Masco by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 21,108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 15,167 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,016,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Insider Activity at Masco

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

Masco Stock Performance

MAS traded down $0.35 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.33. The stock had a trading volume of 298,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,028,937. 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 50 day simple moving average of $74.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.98. The firm has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 28.43%.

About Masco

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.