WCM Investment Management LLC Acquires 9,189 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,847 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,189 shares during the quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $5,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.2% during the 3rd 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. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of Masco by 4.2% during the 3rd 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. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 118,819.3% during the 4th 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. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Masco by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $284,404,000 after acquiring an additional 711,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,934,986 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $210,325,000 after acquiring an additional 145,472 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of Masco 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $73.55 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $16.22 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $75.22 and its 200-day moving average is $65.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.68. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $47.66 and a 52 week high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 3,111.50%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.62.

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.