Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Boosts Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 50,388 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,611 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $75.25 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $15.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $76.11 and a 200-day moving average of $78.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 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 is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.