Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Sells 170 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,518 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sitrin Capital Management LLC increased its position in Masco by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Sitrin Capital Management LLC now owns 88,445 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,418,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $367,000. Exchange Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Masco by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,252 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,107,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $664,000. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its position in Masco by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 102,356 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,428,000 after purchasing an additional 51,867 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $75.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $76.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.84.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.