Oxbow Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oxbow Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,538 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,527 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 257.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,637 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at $239,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 3.9% during the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 8,171 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at $326,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Masco by 6.4% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 13,642 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after buying an additional 815 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Down 1.9 %

MAS stock opened at $74.82 on Friday. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $76.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.72.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.85%.

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.