KBC Group NV Acquires 279,345 Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)

KBC Group NV increased its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 39.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 988,175 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 279,345 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.47% of Masco worth $68,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Masco by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,131 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,990,000 after buying an additional 8,508 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Masco by 1.0% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 24,832 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,726,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Masco by 8.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the construction company's stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Masco by 69.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,110 shares of the construction company's stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 5,378 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Up 0.1%

Masco stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $67.15. 1,050,448 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,840,247. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.19. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $63.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.17. Masco Corporation has a one year low of $56.55 and a one year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 1,320.76%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. Masco's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 target price (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $62.00 price target on shares of Masco and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

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.