Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 166.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,000 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $2,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $371,265,000 after buying an additional 58,739 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Masco by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,900,643 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $283,070,000 after buying an additional 337,164 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $204,766,000 after buying an additional 360,931 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Masco by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,762,250 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $200,456,000 after buying an additional 305,156 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,463,217 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $178,756,000 after buying an additional 142,318 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price target on Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $64.19 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $62.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.42. The company has a market cap of $13.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Corporation has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 1,320.76% and a net margin of 10.30%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

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.

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