Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Bought by Parkside Financial Bank & Trust

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 225.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,144 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in Masco were worth $83,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Masco by 13,069.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 29,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after buying an additional 29,406 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in Masco by 8.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 3,884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in Masco by 12.1% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,593 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Masco by 6.7% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Masco by 0.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $241,825,000 after buying an additional 26,259 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.5 %

Masco stock opened at $75.10 on Monday. 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 $15.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $76.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.86.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Company 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.