Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Acquires 116,903 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 87,241.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 117,037 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 116,903 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $627,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Masco by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,792 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,005,000 after acquiring an additional 15,591 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Masco by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 229,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,372,000 after acquiring an additional 18,140 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in Masco by 264.5% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 18,219 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after acquiring an additional 13,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Masco by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 344,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,051,000 after acquiring an additional 21,165 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.54. 1,392,156 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,065,198. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.28. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $78.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

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.