iA Global Asset Management Inc. Increases Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,451 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 5,643 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $2,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Masco by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Masco by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

Masco Trading Up 0.1 %

MAS traded up $0.05 on Wednesday, hitting $70.44. The company had a trading volume of 1,612,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,568,329. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $75.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS 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 issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

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.