Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 150,200 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,949 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned 0.07% of Masco worth $10,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after purchasing an additional 194,297 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 8.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 922,566 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $77,440,000 after acquiring an additional 73,405 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $76.11 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $76.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 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. The company has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

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.