Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,260,000 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the February 13th total of 5,040,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Masco stock traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $70.93. 812,270 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,592,138. The firm has a market cap of $15.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $75.96 and its 200 day moving average is $78.31. Masco has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.