Seizert Capital Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 21.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Masco makes up 2.0% of Seizert Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned 0.25% of Masco worth $45,364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAS. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $78.42 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $58.89 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.