Focus Partners Wealth Acquires 445 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,149 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Masco were worth $767,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $129,306,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $33,157,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,678,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $204,766,000 after purchasing an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $67.68 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $64.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $14.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.63.

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.