Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 19.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,429,113 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 339,610 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.66% of Masco worth $103,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Masco by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company's stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.37.

Masco Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $61.84. 1,398,864 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,702,834. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $71.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $57.27 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

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.