Achmea Investment Management B.V. Has $18.34 Million Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. lessened its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 252,670 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 7,415 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. owned about 0.12% of Masco worth $18,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $2,134,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 47,398 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,440,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 65,598 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,760,000 after purchasing an additional 9,287 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 108,112 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,846,000 after purchasing an additional 8,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 80,092 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 11,696 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $71.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $76.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.61.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MAS. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.