Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,260,000 shares, a drop of 15.5% from the February 13th total of 5,040,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In related 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 completion of 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 at the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Masco by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 504,708 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $36,627,000 after purchasing an additional 26,481 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 653,513 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,425,000 after acquiring an additional 2,900 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth $25,466,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 105.9% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,882 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,153,000 after acquiring an additional 8,168 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Masco by 85.7% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 157,944 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,462,000 after acquiring an additional 72,875 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Masco stock traded down $0.76 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.65. 6,155,154 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,711,623. The stock has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Masco Company Profile

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.