Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 10,616 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,190 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 10,616 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Masco were worth $7,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew 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 purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company's stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

MAS traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $70.54. 1,984,268 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,570,071. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on MAS shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.