Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Has $23.89 Million Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 329,254 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 32,212 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $23,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $747,000 after buying an additional 10,100 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $73,737,000 after buying an additional 20,129 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MAS. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Masco and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.10.

Masco Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Masco stock opened at $62.09 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $56.55 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $65.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.88%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.