Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 634 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Baird Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,445 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 634 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on Masco and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Ten 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $62.09 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.40 and a 200-day moving average of $73.27. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.88%.

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.