Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 223,212 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 49.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 676,356 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 223,212 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Masco were worth $49,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter worth about $292,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,415 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 4,668 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 190.9% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 209,867 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,616,000 after purchasing an additional 137,722 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 21,521 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,806,000 after purchasing an additional 3,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 12,260 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $70.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average is $75.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

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.