Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Holocene Advisors LP

Holocene Advisors LP cut its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 32.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,527,605 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,232,719 shares during the quarter. Masco accounts for 0.9% of Holocene Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $212,167,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at about $82,363,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Masco by 28.3% in the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 467,897 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,195,000 after buying an additional 103,310 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Masco by 507.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 29,148 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 24,352 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 52,962 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,531,000 after acquiring an additional 7,741 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 18.9% in the 2nd quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 215,811 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $14,388,000 after acquiring an additional 34,345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $80.60 on Monday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $61.82 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $81.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.79. The stock has a market cap of $17.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

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.