Quest Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 104.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,663 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,161 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Masco by 1.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $655,414,000 after purchasing an additional 181,515 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Masco by 0.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $241,825,000 after purchasing an additional 26,259 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in Masco by 10.0% during the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,347,000 after purchasing an additional 259,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 16.6% during the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $177,136,000 after purchasing an additional 319,029 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $78.42 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $58.89 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.86 and a 200 day moving average of $75.23. The firm has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MAS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

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.