Private Advisor Group LLC Purchases 688 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 6.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,622 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $708,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after acquiring an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,769,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,341,000 after purchasing an additional 140,334 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Masco by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,924,621 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $194,985,000 after purchasing an additional 9,094 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $190,347,000 after buying an additional 259,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 319,029 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.58.

Masco Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE MAS opened at $81.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $47.66 and a 52 week high of $82.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $75.59 and a 200-day moving average of $72.91.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.