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

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 133.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,435 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 16,830 shares during the period. Masco makes up 0.6% of Oak Thistle LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Masco by 59.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Masco by 86.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 673 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 target price (down from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.96.

Masco Stock Up 3.1 %

Masco stock opened at $75.81 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $77.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.39. The company has a market cap of $16.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.85%.

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.