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

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,565 shares of the construction company's stock after buying 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.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price objective for the company. Ten 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $85.30.

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Masco Trading Down 10.1 %

MAS stock traded down $7.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.90. 1,319,443 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,702,966. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99, 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. The business's 50 day moving average price is $74.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.73. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.12 and a 52-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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Masco 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.