Hosking Partners LLP Sells 18,398 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Hosking Partners LLP decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,258 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,398 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP owned approximately 0.07% of Masco worth $10,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Down 1.8 %

MAS stock opened at $74.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.79. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS 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 an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

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.