Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Lessened by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 489,955 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,490 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $35,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after purchasing an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 4th 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. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $241,825,000 after purchasing an additional 26,259 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Masco by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 995,950 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,600,000 after acquiring an additional 14,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Masco by 956.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,070,000 after acquiring an additional 895,950 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $78.76 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.95, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.72. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results 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 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.04.

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.