New York State Teachers Retirement System Raises Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 229,507 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,140 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of Masco worth $15,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAS. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Masco by 23.7% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 12,644 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,425 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 65,264 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 11,337 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Masco by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 32,103 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,637,000 after purchasing an additional 1,466 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $495,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Masco by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 457,744 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $23,345,000 after purchasing an additional 305,138 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.62.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of Masco stock traded down $2.76 on Wednesday, reaching $73.97. 2,693,310 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,053,899. Masco Co. has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $78.94. The company has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.03 and a 200 day moving average of $65.37.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. The business's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 28.93%.

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.