Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC cut its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,779 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 368 shares during the quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $202,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,147,000 after buying an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Masco by 21.7% during the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Masco by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Masco by 139.9% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Masco by 125.4% during the third quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 11,778 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $989,000 after purchasing an additional 6,553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $79.26 on Monday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.75 and a 200 day moving average of $78.20.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. Masco’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MAS. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.27.

Masco Company 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.