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

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 493,445 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 7,851 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Masco worth $41,420,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $82,363,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Masco by 956.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $83,070,000 after purchasing an additional 895,950 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 66.5% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,581,000 after purchasing an additional 728,690 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Masco by 2.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 55.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,391,000 after buying an additional 551,203 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $78.42 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $58.89 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.