Israel Discount Bank of New York Lowers Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Israel Discount Bank of New York trimmed its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,367 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 254 shares during the quarter. Israel Discount Bank of New York’s holdings in Masco were worth $426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 270.6% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.15.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, 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 transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $69.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,301,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,069,551. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $75.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business 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 is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

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.