Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Sells 346 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,860 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 346 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,441,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $691,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,594 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 34,162 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,479,000 after purchasing an additional 4,388 shares in the last quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 21,801 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PGGM Investments lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 189,604 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,760,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $71.64 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $75.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.31. The company has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.