Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. Buys 3,992 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,785,866 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,992 shares during the period. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s holdings in Masco were worth $202,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $68.63 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.92. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS 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 paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MAS. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Nine 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.