Intrust Bank NA Decreases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Intrust Bank NA decreased its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,286 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 832 shares during the quarter. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in Masco were worth $601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the third quarter worth approximately $470,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 465,848 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,103,000 after purchasing an additional 40,731 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Masco by 4,498.9% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 8,094 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $679,000 after purchasing an additional 7,918 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Masco by 10.8% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 15,488 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Masco by 8.2% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,215 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $75.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.92. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s 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 owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.