Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 49,055 Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 702,568 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 49,055 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.33% of Masco worth $48,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Masco by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $371,265,000 after acquiring an additional 58,739 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Masco by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,900,643 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $283,070,000 after acquiring an additional 337,164 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,766,000 after purchasing an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,762,250 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $200,456,000 after purchasing an additional 305,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,463,217 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $178,756,000 after purchasing an additional 142,318 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.63.

Masco Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MAS opened at $61.24 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $62.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Corporation has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 1,320.76%. The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

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.