Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Reduced by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

by · The Cerbat Gem

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC cut its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS – Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,905 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 492 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,372,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction 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 $2,370,678.06. This represents 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.

Masco Stock Down 9.9 %

MAS stock opened at $64.01 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.64. The company has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.12 and a 12-month high of $86.70. 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 (NYSE:MAS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.30.

View Our Latest Research Report on Masco

Masco Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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