Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Increases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 6.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 56,311 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,349 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Masco during 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 grew its stake in Masco by 46.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Masco by 4,545.5% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $82.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.13. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. The business 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup dropped their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Masco from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Masco from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.75.

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.