Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 921,174 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 26,691 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.43% of Masco worth $66,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company's stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,756,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust grew its stake in Masco by 1.0% in the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 14,846 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $71.62. The stock had a trading volume of 893,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,749,544. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.03. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.60 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market cap of $15.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. Research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Masco's payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MAS. StockNews.com cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price objective (down from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.88.

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.