Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Acquires 813 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,268 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock opened at $75.10 on Friday. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. 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 cap of $15.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $76.15 and its 200-day moving average is $78.84.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup dropped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

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 on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% 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.