Seizert Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 591,602 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,165 shares during the period. Masco makes up 1.9% of Seizert Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned 0.27% of Masco worth $42,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company's stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 0.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS traded up $1.10 on Friday, reaching $75.25. 2,928,761 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,532,524. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.75. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $15.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 last year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.