First Trust Advisors LP Trims Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 50.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 126,608 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 128,080 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.06% of Masco worth $9,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial cut their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Up 3.3 %

NYSE MAS traded up $2.02 on Friday, reaching $62.32. The company had a trading volume of 2,613,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,740,914. 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's fifty day moving average is $66.99 and its 200 day moving average is $74.36. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The firm'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 fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.88%.

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.