Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Cibc World Markets Corp

Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,162 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,388 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Masco by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in Masco by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Masco by 26.7% during the fourth 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. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in Masco by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $4,601,988.12. This 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 company insiders.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $70.42 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $75.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 EPS. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

About Masco

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.