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

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

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in Masco by 4,028.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,855,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $74.82 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $76.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.76. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. 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 results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

Masco Profile

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.