Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Increases Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 316,935 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 0.15% of Masco worth $23,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $371,265,000 after purchasing an additional 58,739 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 299,520 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Masco by 21.0% during 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 buying an additional 520,555 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Masco by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $204,766,000 after acquiring an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Masco by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company's stock worth $152,569,000 after acquiring an additional 185,286 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of MAS traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.82. The stock had a trading volume of 512,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,738,748. The company has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $66.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.87. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.10.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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.