Fmr LLC Buys 40,731 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Fmr LLC grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 465,848 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 40,731 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned 0.22% of Masco worth $39,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Masco by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $655,414,000 after purchasing an additional 181,515 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $241,825,000 after buying an additional 26,259 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in Masco by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,347,000 after buying an additional 259,205 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 66.5% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,581,000 after acquiring an additional 728,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its position in Masco by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 1,758,889 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $117,265,000 after acquiring an additional 238,512 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Up 0.8 %

MAS opened at $81.01 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.20. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $62.95 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $17.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

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.