Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Increases Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 26.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,446 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 31,992 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned 0.07% of Masco worth $10,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 270.6% in the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 487 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 70.6% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Masco stock traded up $0.99 on Tuesday, reaching $73.01. 2,540,586 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,040,447. The company has a market capitalization of $16.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $47.66 and a 52 week high of $78.94. The firm's 50-day moving average is $75.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.79 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.62.

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.