Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Has $322,000 Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,430 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Masco were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 0.3% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $73.63 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $76.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.82. The stock has a market cap of $15.61 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.