Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. lessened its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 30.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,395 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 9,437 shares during the period. AXA S.A.'s holdings in Masco were worth $1,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock worth $823,000 after buying an additional 1,931 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, 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 value of $225,317.42. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $62.09. 2,510,898 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,760,258. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $65.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.27. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. Masco's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Masco in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.10.

About Masco

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.