Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Holocene Advisors LP

Holocene Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,527,605 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,232,719 shares during the period. Masco accounts for about 0.9% of Holocene Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Holocene Advisors LP owned approximately 1.17% of Masco worth $212,167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 11.9% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,619 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Masco by 507.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 29,148 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 24,352 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 42.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 11,832 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $933,000 after purchasing an additional 3,497 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 8.9% in the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,880 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Masco by 8.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Masco Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $80.60 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $61.82 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.79.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.