Mizuho Securities USA LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,448 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,296 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 1,931 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $70.33 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $0.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. UBS Group decreased their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.