Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 456,903 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $33,157,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Masco at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded up $1.17 on Tuesday, hitting $61.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,390,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,720,056. The company has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $57.27 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $69.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.42. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 2.03%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 is available through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.37.

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.