Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Holdings Boosted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 348,847 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,964 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $25,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAS. State Street Corp grew its stake in Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after buying an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew 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 during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in Masco by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,569,000 after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $129,306,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $62.85 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $13.30 billion, a PE ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $74.10 and a 200-day moving average of $77.45. Masco Co. has a one year low of $60.29 and a one year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS 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 prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 target price for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.30.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.