19,937 Shares in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Bought by Atom Investors LP

Atom Investors LP bought a new position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 19,937 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,674,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in Masco by 46.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 850.8% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 599 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $80.51 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.23. Masco Co. has a 12 month low of $61.82 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.66 and a 200-day moving average of $75.82.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company 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 company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

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.