Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Boosts Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,565 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,001 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,783,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $33,157,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Masco by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Masco by 49.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $75.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.92.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. Research analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Masco Company 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.