Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Acquired by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 33.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 694,275 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 172,175 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned 0.32% of Masco worth $50,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Trading Up 0.3 %

MAS stock opened at $69.78 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market cap of $14.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.78. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.30.

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.