Central Bank & Trust Co. Trims Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Central Bank & Trust Co. lessened its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,855 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 860 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Masco were worth $616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco 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 sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Masco from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock opened at $63.21 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $56.55 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.17.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

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.