New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys 18,140 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,507 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,140 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.10% of Masco worth $15,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DecisionPoint Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 270.6% in the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup increased 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. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One investment 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 has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $76.73 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $46.77 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The company has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $74.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.30.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.