Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 532,334 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,533 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $35,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. United Bank increased its position in shares of Masco by 23.7% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 12,644 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,425 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 65,264 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 11,337 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in shares of Masco by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 32,103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 1,466 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at $495,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Masco by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 457,744 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,345,000 after acquiring an additional 305,138 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Down 0.4 %

MAS stock opened at $71.91 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94. The firm has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.62.

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.