Savant Capital LLC Acquires 563 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,989 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 563 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Masco by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,378,337,000 after acquiring an additional 298,116 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in Masco by 4.2% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,021,312 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $481,875,000 after purchasing an additional 359,562 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Masco by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,574,976 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $373,411,000 after purchasing an additional 254,040 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Masco by 3.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,934,986 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $210,325,000 after purchasing an additional 145,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 3,333,651 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $223,288,000 after buying an additional 57,395 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.15.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS opened at $69.56 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $74.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.