Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 492,562 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 14,181 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.23% of Masco worth $35,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $76.32 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.21 and a 200-day moving average of $78.71. The company has a market capitalization of $16.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.25. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year 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 released its 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MAS. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Nine investment 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.