Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Boosted by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Masco were worth $152,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer raised shares of 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. UBS Group reduced their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $68.63 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.92.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued 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 was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. 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.