Advocate Group LLC Has $3.40 Million Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Advocate Group LLC raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,749 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,105 shares during the period. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Donald L. Hagan LLC grew its stake in Masco by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 21,108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 65,076 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,358,000 after purchasing an additional 5,385 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 264.5% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 18,219 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 13,221 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vision Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $222,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Citigroup started coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, February 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.92.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded up $1.03 on Friday, hitting $78.88. The stock had a trading volume of 1,709,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,532,933. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $46.69 and a twelve month high of $78.94. The business’s 50 day moving average is $73.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The stock has a market cap of $17.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.