Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Iowa State Bank

Iowa State Bank raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,751 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Iowa State Bank’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Masco by 11.6% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 465,033 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,932,000 after purchasing an additional 48,379 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 14.7% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 142,443 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,497,000 after buying an additional 18,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Masco by 22.7% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 62,323 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,033,000 after acquiring an additional 11,525 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS traded up $1.16 on Monday, hitting $73.36. 461,105 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 718,952. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.06 and a 200-day moving average of $77.16. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective (down previously from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.88.

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.