Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 126,670 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,200 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Masco were worth $8,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,378,337,000 after purchasing an additional 298,116 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Masco by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,021,312 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $481,875,000 after buying an additional 359,562 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Masco by 15.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,404,000 after acquiring an additional 711,988 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Masco by 3.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,934,986 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $210,325,000 after acquiring an additional 145,472 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in Masco by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 3,333,651 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $223,288,000 after acquiring an additional 57,395 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 4.7 %

NYSE:MAS traded down $3.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $69.55. The company had a trading volume of 2,939,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,049,683. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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