BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Reduces Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lessened its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 29.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 368,820 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 155,748 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned 0.17% of Masco worth $30,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $82,363,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Masco by 956.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $83,070,000 after acquiring an additional 895,950 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,581,000 after acquiring an additional 728,690 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Masco by 55.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,391,000 after acquiring an additional 551,203 shares during the period. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $177,136,000 after purchasing an additional 319,029 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. UBS Group boosted their price target on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

Masco Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE MAS opened at $79.01 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $81.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.43. Masco Co. has a one year low of $58.91 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a market capitalization of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. Masco’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

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.