Alliancebernstein L.P. Decreases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. decreased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 334,380 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,667 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.15% of Masco worth $24,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 32,287.4% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 237,400 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,228,000 after purchasing an additional 236,667 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Masco by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company's stock worth $152,569,000 after buying an additional 185,286 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Masco by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 694,275 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,384,000 after buying an additional 172,175 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth $464,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Masco stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $61.86. The stock had a trading volume of 2,489,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,703,876. The firm has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.49. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $57.27 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 period last year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup cut their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $84.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Masco

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.