Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. grew its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 114.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,807 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 7,895 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.'s holdings in Masco were worth $1,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Masco by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth 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. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $235,881,000 after buying an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note 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. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Trading Down 0.4 %

Masco stock traded down $0.29 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,522,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,553,920. The stock's fifty day moving average is $76.15 and its 200 day moving average is $78.67. 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 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. 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 payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company 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.