Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,188 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,035 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,658,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group reduced 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. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 1.9 %

Masco stock opened at $74.82 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.80. The firm has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

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.