Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Trims Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 162,890 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 12,890 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Masco worth $11,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its holdings in Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.06 and a 200 day moving average of $77.85. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month 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 firm has a market cap of $14.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

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.

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