NBW Capital LLC Sells 691 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

NBW Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 88,161 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 691 shares during the quarter. NBW Capital LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $6,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’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 value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $73.80 on Tuesday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $76.14 and its 200-day moving average is $78.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.