Vicus Capital Has $478,000 Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Vicus Capital grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,175 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the quarter. Vicus Capital’s holdings in Masco were worth $478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $627,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth $122,144,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $975,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Masco by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 542,096 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,245,000 after acquiring an additional 67,806 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Masco in the first quarter valued at about $1,903,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Stock Down 0.6 %

MAS traded down $0.48 on Thursday, hitting $77.84. 179,738 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,932,366. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $71.14 and its 200-day moving average is $72.18. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $47.66 and a 12 month high of $79.54. 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 company has a market cap of $17.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. Masco had a return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The company had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $81.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.58.

Masco 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.