Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 5,667 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 334,380 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,667 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.15% of Masco worth $24,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Masco by 32,287.4% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 237,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,228,000 after purchasing an additional 236,667 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $152,569,000 after buying an additional 185,286 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Masco by 33.0% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 694,275 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,384,000 after acquiring an additional 172,175 shares during the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Allstate Corp bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $464,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $60.97 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.30. The stock has a market cap of $12.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $59.83 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.30.

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.