Venturi Wealth Management LLC Purchases 4,641 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 778.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,237 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,641 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company's stock worth $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 139.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MAS shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS traded down $1.47 on Friday, hitting $74.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,196,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,646. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company's fifty day moving average price is $76.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.71. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 last year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.85%.

Masco 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.