Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Makes New Investment in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 9,148 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $664,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of MAS opened at $75.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $76.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.81.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.