Distillate Capital Partners LLC Takes $15.66 Million Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Distillate Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 215,815 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,662,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Masco by 21.0% in 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $33,157,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Masco by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,766,000 after purchasing an additional 360,931 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $61.86 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $71.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $57.27 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.