Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Boosts Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 302,105 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,332 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Masco were worth $21,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $864,103,000 after buying an additional 194,297 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 8.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 922,566 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $77,440,000 after purchasing an additional 73,405 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $71.37 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $15.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, 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.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 prior year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

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.