Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Has $1.46 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,835 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,060 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Masco by 62.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in Masco by 46.0% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $83.05 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $83.56. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.13 and a 200-day moving average of $73.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. The firm has a market cap of $18.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.58.

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.