Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Decreased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 616,600 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 36,900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.29% of Masco worth $44,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position 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 worth $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,157,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,192,000 after acquiring an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. 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 MAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of MAS stock traded down $1.20 on Thursday, hitting $70.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,666,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,560,054. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $75.96 and its 200-day moving average is $78.31. 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 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This 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.

Masco 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.