Buckingham Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,000 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Buckingham Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,949 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 20.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after purchasing an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 139.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $78.42 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.37 and a 200 day moving average of $78.73. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

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.