Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Has $917,000 Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 95.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,642 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 6,180 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Masco were worth $917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Masco by 778.7% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,237 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 4,641 shares in the last quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp lifted its position in Masco by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 21,318 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,547,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Masco by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 34,037 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,470,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $77.30 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.32 and a 200-day moving average of $78.74.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

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.