Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,926,143 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,649 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.89% of Masco worth $139,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Masco in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $75.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.