Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 10,100 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company's stock worth $864,103,000 after acquiring an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake 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 worth $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Masco by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,192,000 after acquiring an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Nine 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of MAS traded up $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $70.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,984,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,570,071. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.03.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.