Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Sells 143 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,222 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 143 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE MAS opened at $74.82 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

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.