Quadrature Capital Ltd Grows Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 148.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,938 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 15,493 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlueChip Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its stake in Masco by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 9,765 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Masco by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,178,727 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,951,000 after purchasing an additional 51,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $69.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.68. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $78.94. The company has a market cap of $15.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.27.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.15.

Masco Company 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.