Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 10,907 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 259,518 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,907 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.12% of Masco worth $18,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the 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. 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.50.

Masco Trading Up 8.6 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $63.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $57.27 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.78.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business posted $0.83 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 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.