Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stake Cut by Trexquant Investment LP

Trexquant Investment LP decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 24.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,496 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 34,100 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $122,144,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $284,404,000 after acquiring an additional 711,988 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 1,307.8% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 686,794 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,708,000 after purchasing an additional 638,010 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 443.5% in the 3rd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 502,157 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,829,000 after purchasing an additional 409,767 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Masco by 87.3% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 815,888 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,609,000 after purchasing an additional 380,267 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.15.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded down $1.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.75. The company had a trading volume of 193,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,948,900. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $78.94. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.34. The stock has a market cap of $15.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

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.