Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $49.08 Million Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 49.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 676,356 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 223,212 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.31% of Masco worth $49,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.33. 2,049,146 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,568,242. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $75.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. 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 positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup reduced their price objective 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. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.32.

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.