nVerses Capital LLC Has $1.13 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

nVerses Capital LLC lifted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,400 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Masco comprises about 0.5% of nVerses Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. nVerses Capital LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in Masco during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the second quarter worth $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Masco by 46.0% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Masco by 4,545.5% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE MAS traded down $0.24 during trading on Thursday, reaching $85.32. 128,417 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,803,578. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $18.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.99.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.58.

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.