Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Invests $96,000 in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,328 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $33,157,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

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

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $69.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.87 and its 200-day moving average is $78.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.