Paralel Advisors LLC Buys 2,888 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Paralel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 31,818 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,888 shares during the quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 79,520 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,771,000 after buying an additional 3,187 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 251.6% during the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 187,985 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,174,000 after buying an additional 134,514 shares during the period. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 46.6% during the fourth quarter. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC now owns 50,316 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,651,000 after purchasing an additional 15,996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 397,300 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,832,000 after acquiring an additional 51,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock traded down $2.34 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $61.44. 48,712 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,694,253. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $72.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.78. The stock has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.27 and a fifty-two week 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.50.

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.