Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 418,864 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,127 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.19% of Masco worth $30,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Masco by 20.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Masco by 2.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in Masco by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Masco Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $68.63 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.92. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. Nine investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

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.