Barclays PLC Sells 478,684 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Barclays PLC decreased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 405,175 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 478,684 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.19% of Masco worth $29,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $75.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, 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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE MAS traded up $0.85 on Thursday, hitting $60.17. The stock had a trading volume of 974,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,979,445. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The business's fifty day moving average price is $68.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $12.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

Masco Company 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.