GLOBALT Investments LLC GA Sells 531 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

GLOBALT Investments LLC GA trimmed its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,722 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 531 shares during the period. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $70.35 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $76.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.47. The firm has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 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 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

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.