Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,921,494 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 17,915 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $161,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $655,414,000 after acquiring an additional 181,515 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Masco by 0.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $241,825,000 after purchasing an additional 26,259 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in shares of Masco by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,347,000 after purchasing an additional 259,205 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,581,000 after purchasing an additional 728,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 1,758,889 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $117,265,000 after purchasing an additional 238,512 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $79.01 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.50. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $58.91 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

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.