Fox Run Management L.L.C. Grows Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 66.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,345 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,907 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Masco were worth $896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter worth $1,152,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 83,459 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,006,000 after acquiring an additional 4,620 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its position in Masco by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 14,451 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,888 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in Masco by 9.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,319 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Masco Trading Down 1.1 %

Masco stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $75.87 and its 200-day moving average is $78.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.