Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,847,372 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,320,574 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 2.71% of Masco worth $424,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Masco by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 465,848 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $39,103,000 after buying an additional 40,731 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,215 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Masco by 43.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 38,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,243,000 after buying an additional 11,637 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth about $741,000. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 172,281 shares of the construction company's stock worth $14,461,000 after purchasing an additional 18,495 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Masco Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS traded down $2.21 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $60.71. The stock had a trading volume of 999,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,672,759. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50 day moving average is $74.10 and its 200-day moving average is $77.45. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $59.90 and a 1 year high of $86.70. 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 (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MAS. UBS Group cut their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten equities research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the 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 owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.