Confluence Investment Management LLC Purchases New Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 991,134 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,181,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $303,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in Masco by 148.3% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 25,938 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,737,000 after acquiring an additional 15,493 shares in the last quarter. BlueChip Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $268,000. Rovin Capital UT ADV lifted its position in shares of Masco by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 9,765 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Masco Trading Up 0.3 %

MAS stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $69.75. 247,710 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,903,359. Masco Co. has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $78.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $70.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.68. The company has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The business 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%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. Research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

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.