Apollon Wealth Management LLC Sells 157 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,106 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 157 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $82,363,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 956.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,070,000 after purchasing an additional 895,950 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew 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 worth $121,581,000 after acquiring an additional 728,690 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after acquiring an additional 721,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 55.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,391,000 after acquiring an additional 551,203 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 1.0 %

Masco stock opened at $78.42 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $58.89 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.86 and its 200 day moving average is $75.23. The company has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued 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 1.48%. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

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.