Jane Street Group LLC Purchases 175,256 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 176.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 274,718 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 175,256 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC owned about 0.13% of Masco worth $19,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten 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, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.10.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.09. 2,510,898 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,760,258. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company's 50 day moving average price is $65.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.33. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. Masco's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

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.