Forsta AP Fonden Grows Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 45.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,300 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,500 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,496,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Masco by 20.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust grew its position in Masco by 125.4% in the third quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 11,778 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 6,553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reduced their price target on Masco from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.27.

Masco Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $81.12 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $63.81 and a 12-month 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25.

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

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.