National Bank of Canada FI Decreases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

National Bank of Canada FI lessened its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 102,865 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 9,970 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Masco were worth $7,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $84.50.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This 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.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock traded down $2.96 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $60.81. 452,928 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,695,697. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $72.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.78. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $57.27 and a 52 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.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Masco 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.