UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 4,386 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,835 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,386 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Masco were worth $2,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS traded down $6.38 on Thursday, hitting $64.68. 2,409,502 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,719,583. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business's fifty day moving average is $74.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.73. 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 $63.12 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal 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. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Masco's payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company'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 represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAS. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Masco in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of 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 report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $85.30.

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.