Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 112,465 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 6,972 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at $205,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at $66,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Masco by 47.5% in 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. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Masco by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 89,402 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,779,000 after buying an additional 4,702 shares during the period. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,121 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:MAS traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,921,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,080,258. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.88. 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 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. The company has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 was Wednesday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

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.