Virtu Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 31.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,683 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,651 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after buying an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MAS shares. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock 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 (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.