Renee Straber Sells 3,139 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stock

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS traded up $0.76 during trading on Monday, reaching $71.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,438,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,559,280. The firm has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $76.04 and a 200-day moving average of $78.47.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Remove Ads

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company's stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Masco by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company's stock worth $665,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.