Empirical Finance LLC Boosts Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,516 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,264 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 46.5% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 21,321 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,682,000 after purchasing an additional 6,765 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Masco by 456.1% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 14,670 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after buying an additional 12,032 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Masco Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $78.42 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.89 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $81.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

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.