Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by iSAM Funds UK Ltd

iSAM Funds UK Ltd trimmed its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,397 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,727 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings in Masco were worth $957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Masco by 507.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 29,148 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after buying an additional 24,352 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 42.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 11,832 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 82.2% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 219,572 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $14,639,000 after acquiring an additional 99,084 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 47,504 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,167,000 after acquiring an additional 3,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sitrin Capital Management LLC grew its position in Masco by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sitrin Capital Management LLC now owns 88,596 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,907,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group upped their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $81.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $62.95 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $81.43 and its 200-day moving average is $76.11. The firm has a market cap of $17.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.