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

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Masco Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $69.10 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.61. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $14.65 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,466,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 105.9% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,882 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after buying an additional 8,168 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Masco by 85.7% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 157,944 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,462,000 after buying an additional 72,875 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 132,033 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,581,000 after acquiring an additional 5,431 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

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.