Summit Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 216 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,207 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $160,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $61.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $69.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.42. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $57.27 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced 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 last year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 2.03%. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MAS. Citigroup decreased their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group cut their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded 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 note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Ten 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % 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.

Masco 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.