Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stake Lowered by TD Private Client Wealth LLC

TD Private Client Wealth LLC cut its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,978 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 907 shares during the quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $69.65 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.87 and a 200-day moving average of $78.18.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Masco 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.