Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Increases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 122.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,935 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in Masco by 270.6% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $71.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $75.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 3,111.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Masco 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.