Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 1,358 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 47,531 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,358 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,449,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.10.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

MAS stock opened at $60.41 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.94. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap 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. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Masco 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.