Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Trims Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund cut its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,518 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco 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 completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock opened at $75.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its 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 period last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.