Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Decreases Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 255,051 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 6,999 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Masco were worth $18,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 291,658 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $448,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 28,725 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,411,000 after buying an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $60.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $12.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $66.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.36.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MAS. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Company 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.