Federated Hermes Inc. Purchases 8,810 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,080 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,810 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.07% of Masco worth $11,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Ten equities research 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, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.50.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $61.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.85 and a 200 day moving average of $76.63. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $57.27 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Company 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.