Oxbow Advisors LLC Sells 2,527 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

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

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Masco by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Masco by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAS. 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $74.82 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.13 and a 200 day moving average of $78.72. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week 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.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

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.