Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,856 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Masco by 778.7% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,237 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 4,641 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 21,318 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,547,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Masco by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 34,037 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,470,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Masco by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $74.70 on Friday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $76.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.79. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by 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.