Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 52,815 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,465 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 52,815 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Masco worth $10,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DecisionPoint Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth $35,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 270.6% in the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.62.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $73.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,884,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,046,344. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $75.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.56. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $47.66 and a 12 month high of $78.94. The firm has a market cap of $16.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 3,111.50%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 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 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 28.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.50% 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.