Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 482,417 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 90,099 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.22% of Masco worth $35,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $129,306,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $30,678,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $204,766,000 after acquiring an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Ten 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of MAS stock traded up $0.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,391,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,789,711. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $64.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.00. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.