Bank of Montreal Can Increases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 335,305 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 879 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.16% of Masco worth $24,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position 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 buying an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $61.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.49. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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 period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.50.

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.