Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Lord Abbett & CO. LLC

Lord Abbett & CO. LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 18.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 882,524 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 200,033 shares during the quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned about 0.41% of Masco worth $74,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 956.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company's stock worth $83,070,000 after buying an additional 895,950 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Masco by 66.5% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $121,581,000 after purchasing an additional 728,690 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 86.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 634,740 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $42,318,000 after purchasing an additional 294,409 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 49.2% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 89.5% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 579,597 shares of the construction company's stock worth $38,642,000 after purchasing an additional 273,718 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $78.76. 834,710 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,768,143. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $81.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.59. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.60 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.04.

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.