US Bancorp DE Buys 1,665 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 139,718 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,665 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned 0.06% of Masco worth $10,140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake 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 valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased 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. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Masco by 10.2% in 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. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in shares of Masco by 4,028.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,855,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $73.80 on Tuesday. 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 one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period last year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.