DnB Asset Management AS Has $4.19 Million Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,721 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings 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 period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Masco by 10.2% in 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 buying an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.85. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly 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. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

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.