Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Short Interest Update

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,260,000 shares, a decrease of 15.5% from the February 13th total of 5,040,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. UBS Group reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:MAS traded down $0.68 on Thursday, reaching $70.93. The stock had a trading volume of 812,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,138. 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 cap of $15.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $75.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.31. Masco has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.