Prudential PLC Acquires 6,003 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS – Get Rating) by 108.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,558 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,003 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $539,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners grew its position in Masco by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 10,050,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $471,236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786,398 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Masco by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 4,939,950 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $230,646,000 after acquiring an additional 69,486 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,652,241 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,451,000 after acquiring an additional 68,981 shares during the period. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Masco by 1,031.4% in the 3rd quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 2,400,094 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,060,000 after acquiring an additional 2,187,950 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of Masco by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,390,594 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $111,617,000 after acquiring an additional 13,584 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.50% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, CFO John G. Sznewajs sold 68,750 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.09, for a total transaction of $3,718,687.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 187,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,157,236.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO John G. Sznewajs sold 68,750 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.09, for a total transaction of $3,718,687.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 187,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,157,236.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO John G. Sznewajs sold 20,361 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $1,099,494.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 187,784 shares in the company, valued at $10,140,336. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 123,058 shares of company stock valued at $6,626,199. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Stock Up 1.4 %

MAS stock opened at $53.60 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $42.33 and a 12 month high of $58.18. The firm has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $50.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.42.

Masco (NYSE:MAS – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.22. Masco had a net margin of 9.65% and a negative return on equity of 237.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 3.35 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Masco from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $57.00 in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Masco from $62.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Masco from $66.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Masco from $49.00 to $48.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.71.

Masco Profile

(Get Rating)

Masco Corp. engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. It operates under the Plumbing Products and Decorative Architectural Products segments. The Plumbing Products segment includes faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, shower drains, steam shower systems, sinks, kitchen accessories, and toilets.