The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Increases Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,547 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Masco were worth $8,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in Masco in the first quarter worth $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 62.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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 directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of MAS opened at $82.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $84.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $78.60 and a 200 day moving average of $73.57.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.58.

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.