Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4,498.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,094 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,918 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 850.8% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 599 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.96.

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 value of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $80.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $81.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24. 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 52 week low of $61.82 and a 52 week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend 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.