Schroder Investment Management Group Has $152.57 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,103,820 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.98% of Masco worth $152,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Masco by 33.0% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 694,275 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,384,000 after acquiring an additional 172,175 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $269,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $464,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Masco by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 7,505 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS increased its stake in Masco by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 57,721 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded down $6.53 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $64.54. The company had a trading volume of 2,628,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,655,856. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.19 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.73.

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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 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco 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 value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten equities research 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently 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.