Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 206 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems reduced its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,998 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Masco were worth $1,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MAS. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $74.82 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.80. The company has a market capitalization of $15.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.31 dividend. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 30.85%.

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.