Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 49,055 Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 702,568 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,055 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.33% of Masco worth $48,857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Donald L. Hagan LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 19,534 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at $258,000. Millburn Ridgefield LLC DE bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at $241,000. CX Institutional raised its position in Masco by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. CX Institutional now owns 4,842 shares of the construction company's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 700.6% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 76,388 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,312,000 after purchasing an additional 66,847 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Trading Up 1.0%

MAS stock traded up $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.58. The company had a trading volume of 321,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,092,677. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The business has a 50 day moving average of $62.65 and a 200 day moving average of $69.73. The company has a market cap of $13.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

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.