Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $1.89 Million Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,999 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 554 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased 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 worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MAS opened at $71.07 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.42.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of 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. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

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.