Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 103,507 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $7,512,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the third quarter worth $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of MAS stock traded up $0.19 on Thursday, hitting $73.77. 576,673 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,468,249. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $76.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.82. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Masco's payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.32.

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.