Quest Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 104.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,663 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 15,161 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAS. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Masco Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of MAS opened at $78.42 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.23. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $58.89 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

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

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.