Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 276,240 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 29.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 646,326 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 276,240 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.30% of Masco worth $46,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,756,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company's stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Masco by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

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Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $75.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.15 and its 200 day moving average is $78.76. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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