Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,781,587 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,436 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.83% of Masco worth $129,290,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $61.68 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $65.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.53. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Masco and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Ten investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.10.

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.