Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Increased by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,451 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,888 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the first quarter worth $44,000. BOKF NA grew its position in shares of Masco by 2.5% in the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 6,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LP grew its position in shares of Masco by 27.6% in the first quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 4,302 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 931 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the first quarter valued at about $1,617,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Masco by 268.0% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 152,699 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,045,000 after purchasing an additional 111,208 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $79.01 on Monday. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $58.91 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $81.76 and a 200-day moving average of $75.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Masco’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

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.