Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,741 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,480 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.06% of Masco worth $10,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BOKF NA raised its holdings in Masco by 2.5% in 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. Hyperion Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter worth $273,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 55.8% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,391,000 after acquiring an additional 551,203 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 115.7% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 55,939 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,409,000 after purchasing an additional 30,001 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $77.65. 1,258,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,972,597. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.30.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on MAS shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.77.

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.