Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 5,096 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $341,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 270.6% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in Masco by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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 shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. 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 research report on Thursday. Citigroup raised their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.07.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,921,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,080,258. The firm has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $47.66 and a 52 week high of $78.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.76.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The business 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 quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.43%.

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.