Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Acquires 3,611 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,388 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 3,611 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $3,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,364,000 after purchasing an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Up 1.5 %

MAS traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.25. 2,928,761 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,532,524. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.76. The stock has a market cap of $15.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.