Oak Thistle LLC Acquires 16,830 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 133.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,435 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,830 shares during the period. Masco accounts for 0.6% of Oak Thistle LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $2,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Masco by 6.9% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,622 shares of the construction company's stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $422,000. BOKF NA boosted its position in Masco by 27.9% during the second quarter. BOKF NA now owns 7,901 shares of the construction company's stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 565.0% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 144,767 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $9,652,000 after purchasing an additional 122,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 835,316 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $55,691,000 after purchasing an additional 16,289 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.96.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS traded up $1.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,707,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,205. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $76.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.45.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.