Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Invests $691,000 in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 9,522 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly 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. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS opened at $70.35 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Masco 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.