EP Wealth Advisors LLC Has $1.30 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,901 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 808 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Masco by 89.0% during the 4th 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 Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.39. The firm has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 price objective on Masco and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.10.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Masco

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.