Natixis Investment Managers International Lowers Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Natixis Investment Managers International lowered its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 19.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,488 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 367 shares during the period. Natixis Investment Managers International’s holdings in Masco were worth $117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $122,144,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at about $78,181,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 967.9% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 415,406 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,767,000 after buying an additional 376,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,574,976 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $373,411,000 after buying an additional 254,040 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS traded up $5.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $75.88. The stock had a trading volume of 3,677,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,969,930. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $47.66 and a 12 month high of $78.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.17.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.69.

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.