Oak Thistle LLC Grows Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 135.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,613 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,530 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Masco by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,378,337,000 after acquiring an additional 298,116 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P raised its position in Masco by 8.7% in the second quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,728,394 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $558,215,000 after acquiring an additional 781,049 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Masco by 3.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,467,872 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $543,266,000 after acquiring an additional 282,151 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in Masco by 4.2% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,021,312 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $481,875,000 after acquiring an additional 359,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Masco by 118,819.3% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,978,187 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $325,672,000 after acquiring an additional 6,972,319 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup started coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, February 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Masco from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.92.

Masco Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $77.18 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $73.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $46.69 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The firm has a market cap of $16.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 2.18 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. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.