DnB Asset Management AS Has $4.19 Million Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

DnB Asset Management AS increased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 57,721 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $129,306,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at $33,157,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after buying an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.85. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 last year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

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.