Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Sells 4,110 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,371 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,110 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 89.0% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on shares of Masco and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.10.

Masco Stock Down 1.9 %

MAS opened at $60.58 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $12.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $66.15 and its 200 day moving average is $73.78.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.