Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) CEO Sells $1,658,768.28 in Stock

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Masco Trading Down 1.8 %

Masco stock opened at $74.70 on Friday. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $76.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake 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 last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Masco by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.