Signet Financial Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Signet Financial Management LLC reduced its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,166 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Masco by 1.6% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,646 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,619 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 21,108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank grew its stake in shares of Masco by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 15,167 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,016,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Masco by 2.2% in the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,240 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MAS shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.62.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock traded down $0.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $72.10. 683,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,025,809. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $78.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $75.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.87. The company has a market cap of $15.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.93%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.