ELCO Management Co. LLC Has $301,000 Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

ELCO Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,141 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 628 shares during the period. ELCO Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $58.66 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $54.05 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.82 and its 200-day moving average is $77.00. The company has a market capitalization of $12.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued 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 period last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.50.

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.