Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 128,624 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 17,562 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Masco worth $9,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine investment 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $68.63 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 market cap of $14.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.92.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.81%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value 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 $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% 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.