Virtu Financial LLC Sells 1,651 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 31.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,683 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,651 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $33,157,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Nine equities research 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $75.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.92. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.