6,390 Shares in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Bought by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,390 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,629 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth $2,611,000. Covenant Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter worth $234,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Masco by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 184,004 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $12,325,000 after acquiring an additional 48,021 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harris Associates L P boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,769,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,341,000 after acquiring an additional 140,334 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of MAS opened at $69.39 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. The stock has a market cap of $15.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.27. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $47.66 and a 1 year high of $78.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.68.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.15.

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.