Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 9,938 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 110,773 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 9,938 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.05% of Masco worth $8,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 139.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $76.67. 1,375,604 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,471,319. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $76.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's payout ratio is 30.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

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.