Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,077 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,212 shares during the quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $5,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,319 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at $470,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Masco by 75.2% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 26,854 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $251,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $70.44 on Thursday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a market capitalization of $14.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.