BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 3,613 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 588,402 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,613 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Masco were worth $49,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 850.8% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 599 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $80.42 on Friday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $58.91 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.66. The company has a market cap of $17.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.24. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. Masco’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

Masco Company 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.