Dean Capital Management Purchases New Shares in Masco Corporation $MAS

Dean Capital Management purchased a new position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,356 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,651,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 2,550.0% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 424 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 114.5% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 549 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Masco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Masco from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Evercore raised Masco from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.67.

Masco Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MAS stock opened at $79.32 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $74.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07. The stock has a market cap of $16.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.29. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.16 and a twelve month high of $83.21.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 31.76%.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Masco

Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, the company has evolved from a small door?bell manufacturer into a diversified enterprise serving both residential and commercial markets. Over its history, Masco has grown through a combination of organic innovation and strategic acquisitions, building a portfolio of well-recognized brands.

The company’s product offerings are organized into two primary segments.