Carnegie Investment Counsel Sells 32,556 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Carnegie Investment Counsel reduced its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,920 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 32,556 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.05% of Masco worth $8,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 59.4% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Masco by 86.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 673 shares of the construction company's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $86.27.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded up $0.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.29. 1,659,219 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,331,520. The company has a market capitalization of $16.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. Masco's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Masco's payout ratio is 30.85%.

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.