Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 137 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 842 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 137 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $61,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Masco by 0.3% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Masco Stock Down 1.8 %

Masco stock opened at $74.70 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $76.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.79. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

About Masco

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.