Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 296 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,562 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 296 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after buying an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after buying an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted 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 worth $235,881,000 after buying an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its position in Masco by 4,028.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,855,000 after buying an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $75.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $76.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.75. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.