Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 27,989 Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lowered its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 25.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 82,784 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 27,989 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Masco were worth $5,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 120.2% during the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 89.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Loop Capital set a $62.00 target price on Masco and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

Masco Trading Down 1.3%

MAS stock traded down $0.85 during trading on Thursday, reaching $66.43. 1,335,842 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,840,834. The firm's 50 day moving average is $63.19 and its 200 day moving average is $69.15. The firm has a market cap of $14.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.19. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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). Masco had a return on equity of 1,320.76% and a net margin of 10.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. Masco's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

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.