Thompson Investment Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Thompson Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 21.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,964 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,069 shares during the period. Thompson Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $627,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth $122,144,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth $975,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,792 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,005,000 after acquiring an additional 15,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harris Associates L P grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,769,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,341,000 after purchasing an additional 140,334 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Down 3.8 %

MAS stock traded down $2.61 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.48. 2,761,096 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,930,451. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MAS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.15.

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.