Atria Investments Inc Grows Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 79,996 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 2,184 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Masco were worth $5,805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Up 0.9 %

Masco stock opened at $74.21 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $15.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $76.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.78.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 earned $0.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.