Curat Global LLC Takes $90,000 Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,300 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,654 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $846,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 6,317 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Masco by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,824 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,524,000 after buying an additional 5,964 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,350 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ledyard National Bank raised its position in shares of Masco by 90.1% during the fourth quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 49,707 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,607,000 after buying an additional 23,560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $63.21 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $62.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.21.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.63.

About Masco

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.