Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 267 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC cut its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,018 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 267 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $437,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 47,398 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,440,000 after buying an additional 389 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 65,598 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,760,000 after acquiring an additional 9,287 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Masco by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 108,112 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,846,000 after purchasing an additional 8,293 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 80,092 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 11,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in Masco by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,789 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE MAS opened at $70.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.04 and a 200-day moving average of $78.47. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.