New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 553,557 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 16,646 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.25% of Masco worth $37,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 270.6% during 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 boosted its stake in Masco by 70.6% during 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 raised its position in Masco by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MAS traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $69.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,796,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,082,240. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $47.66 and a 12 month high of $78.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.76.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. Masco's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MAS. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer began coverage on Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco 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.