Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. Has $299,000 Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,457 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 983 shares during the quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd.’s holdings in Masco were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,434,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Masco by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 344,141 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $23,051,000 after acquiring an additional 21,165 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $394,000. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 122.9% during the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,935 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LifePlan Financial LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $478,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.2 %

Masco stock opened at $72.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $75.41 and its 200 day moving average is $66.09. The company has a market capitalization of $15.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 3,111.50%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.62.

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.