Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Invests $42,000 in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 573 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Masco by 26.7% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.18. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. 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 yield of 1.78%. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.