Amundi Decreases Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Amundi cut its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 31.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,875,091 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 871,319 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.87% of Masco worth $136,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 263,155 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,089,000 after buying an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Masco during the third quarter worth about $38,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC grew its stake in Masco by 242.1% during the 3rd quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 12,266 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,030,000 after acquiring an additional 8,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MAS traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.52. 518,148 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,532,058. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.67. The firm has a market cap of $15.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.