Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Acquired by VELA Investment Management LLC

VELA Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,914 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE MAS opened at $74.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.79. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAS. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.