Atria Investments Inc Buys 6,483 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,812 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,483 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Masco were worth $6,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 139.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company's stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Pegasus Partners Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth $209,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 242.1% during the third quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 12,266 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,030,000 after buying an additional 8,680 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth $2,109,000. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 7,953 shares of the construction company's stock worth $668,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.96.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock traded down $1.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.01. 1,655,365 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,803,452. The stock has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $55.43 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $81.76 and its 200 day moving average is $74.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. Masco's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.