BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Sells 155,748 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 29.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 368,820 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 155,748 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Masco were worth $30,959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $655,414,000 after acquiring an additional 181,515 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $241,825,000 after purchasing an additional 26,259 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.0% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $190,347,000 after purchasing an additional 259,205 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 319,029 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,581,000 after buying an additional 728,690 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $79.01 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $58.91 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.96.

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.