Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Sells 19,959 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 118,240 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 19,959 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Masco worth $8,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Masco by 956.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $83,070,000 after buying an additional 895,950 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $76.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 997,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,369. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $63.81 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $76.27 and its 200-day moving average is $78.73. 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 firm has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.