Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,260,000 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the February 13th total of 5,040,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in Masco by 89.0% during the 4th 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. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Up 1.4 %

MAS stock traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.64. 2,160,312 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,607,808. Masco has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $75.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.35.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.