Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 437 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,000 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 437 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Masco were worth $508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake 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 worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $70.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.98. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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 period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

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.