Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Stake Reduced by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 128,624 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 17,562 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $9,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stevens Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Masco by 107.9% during the 4th quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 10,585 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 5,494 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 175,207 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,715,000 after buying an additional 8,641 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 12,345 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 4,907 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,542,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Masco by 5,050.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.92.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. Analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Company 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.