Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 10,102 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,096,312 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,102 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.97% of Masco worth $152,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Masco in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Masco in the third quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.5 %

MAS stock opened at $75.10 on Friday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The business's 50-day moving average is $76.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.81. 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 company has a market cap of $15.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.

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