Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,994 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,105 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in Masco by 89.0% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Up 0.7%

Masco stock opened at $67.68 on Monday. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.88%.

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.