Tredje AP fonden Sells 17,530 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Tredje AP fonden trimmed its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,531 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 17,530 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in Masco were worth $1,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company's stock worth $864,103,000 after purchasing an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Masco by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Masco by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company's stock worth $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, 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.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock traded up $0.96 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.64. 2,160,312 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,560,785. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $75.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.