Nelson Capital Management LLC Has $2.79 Million Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Nelson Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,432 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 331 shares during the period. Nelson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Sitrin Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Sitrin Capital Management LLC now owns 88,445 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,418,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $367,000. Exchange Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,252 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,107,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $664,000. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of Masco by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 102,356 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,428,000 after purchasing an additional 51,867 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research 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, Masco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $76.11 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $76.05 and its 200-day moving average is $78.84. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. 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 $16.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.