Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 26,346 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 482,495 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 26,346 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $35,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MAS shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Ten research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.10.

Masco Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $60.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $68.19 and a 200 day moving average of $75.00. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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 shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% 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.