Equitable Trust Co. Increases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Masco were worth $587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Masco by 956.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,070,000 after purchasing an additional 895,950 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after buying an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Masco by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after acquiring an additional 338,925 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Masco by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after acquiring an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in Masco by 4,028.2% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 200,795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,855,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $78.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.95, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $76.60 and a 200-day moving average of $78.72. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on 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 objective on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.04.

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.