Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Lowered by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lowered its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,421 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Masco were worth $756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 59.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $77.30 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.85%.

Masco Company 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.