Evermay Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 87.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,348 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Masco by 62.4% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Masco by 70.1% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank raised its stake in Masco by 91.7% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 575 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Masco by 4,545.5% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Masco during the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS traded up $5.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $75.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,677,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,969,930. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $78.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.17.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MAS shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on Masco from $87.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.69.

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.