Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Invests $42,000 in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 573 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 74.3% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MAS. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.87 and a 200-day moving average of $78.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.