Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $835,000 Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,509 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,114 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Masco were worth $835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $691,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,594 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its holdings in Masco by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 34,162 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 4,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Masco by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 21,801 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $69.65 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.18. 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 $14.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price 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 given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’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 value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.