Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Decreased by CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 393,337 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,950 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Masco worth $28,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in shares of Masco by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,569,000 after acquiring an additional 185,286 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 694,275 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,384,000 after purchasing an additional 172,175 shares during the last quarter. Allianz SE purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $269,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $464,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Masco by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 7,505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 898 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.85. 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 $14.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.