2,973 Shares in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Acquired by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,973 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.30.

Masco Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $71.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $15.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $74.73 and its 200-day moving average is $77.73.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Masco Company 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.