Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Acquired by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,955 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 1.8 %

Masco stock opened at $71.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.73. The stock has a market cap of $15.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.