Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Cuts Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp trimmed its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 531,716 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 11,382 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.25% of Masco worth $38,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings 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 worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 291,658 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents 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 company insiders.

Masco Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $70.44 on Thursday. 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 50-day simple moving average of $75.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.03. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted 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 company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. This is an increase 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 (DPR) is 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.