Royal Bank of Canada Has $52.10 Million Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 717,907 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 67,191 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.33% of Masco worth $52,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 5,050.0% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

Masco Price Performance

MAS traded down $0.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $61.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,678,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,802,242. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $64.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.28. 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 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

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.