Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 103,507 Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 103,507 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $7,512,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of MAS stock traded down $1.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $70.42. 1,358,527 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,555,956. The stock has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.31.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.