Moors & Cabot Inc. Acquires Shares of 2,479 Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Moors & Cabot Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,479 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $665,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MAS. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.96.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Masco Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $79.01 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.76 and a 200-day moving average of $75.50. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $58.91 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm 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 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%.

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.