Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 297,042 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,942 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $24,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth about $82,363,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Masco by 956.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $83,070,000 after purchasing an additional 895,950 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,581,000 after purchasing an additional 728,690 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 86.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 634,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,318,000 after purchasing an additional 294,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 89.5% in the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 579,597 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,642,000 after purchasing an additional 273,718 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $80.73 on Wednesday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $61.82 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Loop Capital raised their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.