Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC cut its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,850 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,031 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $75.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $76.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.76. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine investment 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Masco

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.