Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,559 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after acquiring an additional 721,117 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $655,414,000 after buying an additional 181,515 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 9,094 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 10.0% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,347,000 after buying an additional 259,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 16.6% during the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $177,136,000 after acquiring an additional 319,029 shares during the period. 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 Masco 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Masco from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.17.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $84.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.07. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

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.