Confluence Investment Management LLC Sells 26,142 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Confluence Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 947,865 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 26,142 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned 0.43% of Masco worth $79,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 542,096 shares of the construction company's stock worth $42,245,000 after acquiring an additional 67,806 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth about $1,903,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the second quarter worth about $82,363,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its stake in Masco by 119.1% during the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 290,123 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,885,000 after buying an additional 157,711 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MAS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised Masco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.96.

Masco Trading Up 1.3 %

Masco stock traded up $1.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $80.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,476,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,805,229. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $81.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $55.13 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $17.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. Masco's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco's payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.