Hosking Partners LLP Reduces Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Hosking Partners LLP trimmed its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,258 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,398 shares during the quarter. Hosking Partners LLP’s holdings in Masco were worth $10,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $74.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $76.13 and a 200 day moving average of $78.79. 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 company has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. 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. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Masco Company 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.