Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,008 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 17.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,866 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,008 shares during the quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $73.63 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $15.61 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company’s 50-day moving average is $76.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.82.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on MAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.