Intrust Bank NA Lowers Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

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

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 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 brokerages have weighed in on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock 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 company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $75.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.92. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now 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. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.