Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) CEO Sells $1,658,768.28 in Stock

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Masco Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $75.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.84. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MAS. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group dropped their price objective 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 dropped their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.