Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stock Position Lifted by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 105.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,882 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,168 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $1,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 89.0% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MAS shares. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Masco in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $62.00 target price on shares of Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $66.42. 332,004 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,785,301. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market capitalization of $14.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $64.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.71.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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.