Boston Partners Sells 1,211,448 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Boston Partners decreased its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,773,134 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,211,448 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned about 3.60% of Masco worth $564,990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MAS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE MAS traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.65. 6,155,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,566,172. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $75.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.18. 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 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.