Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 27,121 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,130 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Masco by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 122.9% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,935 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. Oppenheimer began coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Masco Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Masco stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $70.33. 298,197 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,028,937. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $47.66 and a twelve month high of $78.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.98. The company has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.29 dividend. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.