Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,721 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 545 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Masco by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,215 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $200,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.8% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 15,488 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Masco by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 588,402 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $49,390,000 after purchasing an additional 3,613 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group boosted 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $80.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $81.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.79. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $59.72 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $17.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

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.