Ballentine Partners LLC Acquires 249 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 4.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,997 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 249 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MAS. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 3.6% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 14,846 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 6,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 5,509 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LifePlan Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.5% during the third quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC now owns 6,402 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $81.26 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.33 and its 200 day moving average is $74.29. Masco Co. has a 52 week low of $49.24 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. The company has a market cap of $17.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (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 net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.75.

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.