Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 493,445 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,851 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $41,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Masco during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Masco Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $78.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $58.89 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $81.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.