Private Advisor Group LLC Sells 181 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Private Advisor Group LLC reduced its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,441 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 181 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Masco in the first quarter worth $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Masco during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in Masco by 46.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Masco by 4,545.5% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $80.18 on Friday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $53.44 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.53.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.85.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Masco

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.