Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Lifted by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,889 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,586 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 49.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,192,000 after purchasing an additional 291,658 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,463 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,022 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,191 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,046,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Down 1.3%

Masco stock opened at $65.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $64.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.67. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAS. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

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.