Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Sells 53,370 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 143,438 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 53,370 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Masco worth $10,409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,463 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,022 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,191 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,046,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 4.4%

MAS stock opened at $62.98 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.60. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. 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 $13.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

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.