Guggenheim Capital LLC Has $260,000 Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 86.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,581 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 23,808 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 20.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings 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. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE MAS traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.33. 1,896,221 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,736,724. The business's 50-day moving average is $67.26 and its 200-day moving average is $74.52. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $12.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $62.00 price target on Masco and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.10.

Masco Company 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.