SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Buys 330 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 74.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 774 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $56,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Masco by 0.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Masco by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $74.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.78. The stock has a market cap of $15.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.