Seizert Capital Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 591,602 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,165 shares during the quarter. Masco makes up 1.9% of Seizert Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.27% of Masco worth $42,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after buying an additional 520,555 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Masco by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the third 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 raised its stake in shares of Masco by 4,028.2% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,855,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE MAS opened at $72.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.82. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Company 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.