Meeder Asset Management Inc. Sells 5,623 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 49.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,833 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,623 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $391,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,792 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,005,000 after purchasing an additional 15,591 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $198,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Masco by 91.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 61,313 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,107,000 after purchasing an additional 29,285 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Masco by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 229,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,372,000 after purchasing an additional 18,140 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in Masco by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 9,753 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $653,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MAS. Citigroup upped their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Masco from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $77.12 on Tuesday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $46.77 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.14.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.93%.

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.