Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Decreased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 108,515 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 13,114 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth $66,000. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth $408,000. Czech National Bank grew its stake in Masco by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 39,313 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,101,000 after buying an additional 12,667 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Masco by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 89,402 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,779,000 after acquiring an additional 4,702 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Stock Down 4.5 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $69.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $78.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 28.93%.

Insider Activity at Masco

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Masco

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.