6,500 Shares in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Purchased by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 6,500 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $546,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Masco by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $655,414,000 after buying an additional 181,515 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $241,825,000 after buying an additional 26,259 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of Masco by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,347,000 after buying an additional 259,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $177,136,000 after acquiring an additional 319,029 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 $79.25 on Thursday. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $81.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $57.18 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

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.