Todd Asset Management LLC Sells 39,883 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Todd Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 761,907 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 39,883 shares during the period. Masco accounts for about 1.3% of Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Todd Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.35% of Masco worth $55,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after purchasing an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Masco by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after buying an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Masco by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after buying an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 8.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 922,566 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $77,440,000 after acquiring an additional 73,405 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MAS. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock opened at $74.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.81. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.