Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Trims Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund cut its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 61.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,162 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 33,200 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MAS. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. 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, 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. Nine 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $76.01 on Thursday. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.82. The stock has a market cap of $16.11 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. 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 payout ratio is 32.98%.

Masco 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.