Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 105.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,882 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,168 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $1,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Masco by 6.6% during the fourth 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 period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Masco by 5,050.0% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its position 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 worth $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Masco by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Masco by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 21,497 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,560,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MAS traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.36. The stock had a trading volume of 3,116,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,810,656. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $13.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company's 50 day moving average is $63.39 and its 200-day moving average is $71.73.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The firm's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.