Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Trimmed by NBW Capital LLC

NBW Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 88,161 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 691 shares during the period. NBW Capital LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $6,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after acquiring an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 4,028.2% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,855,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 1.8 %

Masco stock opened at $73.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.84.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MAS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

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.