Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Bought by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 102.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 102,356 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 51,867 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE MAS opened at $74.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.72. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

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.