Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 40.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,360 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 25,705 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $2,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Masco by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $747,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 21,497 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its position in shares of Masco by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 24,565 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 5,001 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $62.42 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm's 50 day moving average is $62.78 and its 200-day moving average is $70.40.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Masco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.63.

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.

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