Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 12,359 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,266 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,359 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MAS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $216,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $129,306,000. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in shares of Masco by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 10,906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $791,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 2,484 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in Masco by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 28,835 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 4,386 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE MAS opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $75.06 and its 200-day moving average is $77.85. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 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 period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.