Stevens Capital Management LP Grows Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Stevens Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 107.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,585 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 5,494 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP's holdings in Masco were worth $768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Masco by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,301,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

MAS traded up $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $70.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,984,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,490. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.98.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

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.