Greenleaf Trust Sells 178 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Greenleaf Trust reduced its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,101 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 178 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Masco were worth $811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 1,906.9% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 16,196 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 15,389 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 19,956 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,337,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $1,434,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 344,141 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $23,051,000 after purchasing an additional 21,165 shares during the period. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $394,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target 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 increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.62.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $71.91 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.43. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $47.66 and a 52 week 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.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 28.93%.

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.