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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $70.35 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.48. The company has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Masco by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $665,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MAS. 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.