Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $129.29 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,781,587 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,436 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.83% of Masco worth $129,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 20.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,100 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.10.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.09. 2,510,898 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,760,258. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.27. 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 company has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 stock was 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 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. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.