Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Acquires New Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL bought a new position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,830 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Masco by 62.4% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in Masco by 2.5% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,516 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN increased its stake in shares of Masco by 1.6% in the first quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 10,618 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 70.1% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Masco from $87.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.69.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock traded down $0.69 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.58. The company had a trading volume of 2,540,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,958,230. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.14. The company has a market capitalization of $15.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $47.66 and a 1 year high of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.43%.

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.