Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,735 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,065 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 3,735 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $4,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,041 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,286 shares of the construction company's stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Masco by 85.4% in the fourth quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 15,146 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 6,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Masco by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 24,084 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,748,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS traded down $1.94 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $76.71. 2,026,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,497,184. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The business's fifty day moving average is $76.53 and its 200-day moving average is $78.70. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $85.58.

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.