Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,785 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 197 shares during the quarter. Masco makes up approximately 0.7% of Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $70.35 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.47.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.