Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Sells 176 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,056 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 176 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Ten 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.7%

MAS stock opened at $67.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.86.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 33.88%.

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.