Earnest Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Earnest Partners LLC lowered its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,309,682 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 12,503 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned about 1.07% of Masco worth $167,614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $371,265,000 after buying an additional 58,739 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $235,881,000 after acquiring an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Masco by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company's stock worth $204,766,000 after purchasing an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in Masco by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $152,569,000 after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

MAS opened at $60.41 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's fifty day moving average is $68.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.10.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Masco 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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