Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 11,382 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 531,716 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 11,382 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.25% of Masco worth $38,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS traded up $0.89 on Monday, reaching $69.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,896,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,652,159. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $75.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business'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 value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.