Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 72.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 236,012 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 609,829 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.11% of Masco worth $16,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $129,306,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 11,690.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 911,669 shares of the construction company's stock worth $63,397,000 after acquiring an additional 903,937 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,678,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company's stock worth $204,766,000 after acquiring an additional 360,931 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Masco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock traded down $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $61.83. 1,762,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,809,784. The company has a market capitalization of $13.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm's fifty day moving average is $62.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The firm's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Masco's payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

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.