IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $1.43 Million Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,733 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,941 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position 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.

Masco Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $70.54 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.98. 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 capitalization of $14.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 firm posted $0.83 EPS. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s 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 completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.