Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 55,238 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,382 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,009,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Masco by 20.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after buying an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Masco by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $73,737,000 after purchasing an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $75.10 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $15.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.