Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 616,600 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 36,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Masco were worth $44,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $665,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,301,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $70.35 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.47. 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 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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 earned $0.83 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MAS. 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 research report on Monday, December 16th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.