Cerity Partners LLC Lowers Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Cerity Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 124,017 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 4,696 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.06% of Masco worth $9,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company's stock worth $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $33,157,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Masco by 91.6% in the 4th 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 lifted its position in Masco by 10.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, 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 corporate insiders.

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Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $61.86. 1,398,864 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,702,754. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $71.23 and a 200 day moving average of $76.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.27 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut their price target on Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.37.

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.