Greenleaf Trust Increases Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 13,642 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Masco by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 542,096 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,245,000 after acquiring an additional 67,806 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the first quarter valued at about $1,903,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the second quarter valued at about $82,363,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 119.1% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 290,123 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,885,000 after buying an additional 157,711 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $2,896,273.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. 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 report on Monday. 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 research report on Friday, July 26th. 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 report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.75.

Masco Trading Up 1.1 %

MAS opened at $82.88 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $81.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.28. Masco Co. has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

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.