Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stock Position Lifted by VELA Investment Management LLC

VELA Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor 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 reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MAS. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $74.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $76.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.