Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. Purchases 3,992 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,785,866 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,992 shares during the period. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. owned 1.29% of Masco worth $202,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $464,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of Masco by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 7,505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 57,721 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $129,306,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut 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. Citigroup dropped their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.