Empower Advisory Group LLC Raises Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 995,950 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,870 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned about 0.46% of Masco worth $83,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Masco by 1.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company's stock worth $655,414,000 after buying an additional 181,515 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Masco by 0.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company's stock worth $241,825,000 after buying an additional 26,259 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in Masco by 10.0% during the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company's stock worth $190,347,000 after buying an additional 259,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 16.6% during the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $177,136,000 after purchasing an additional 319,029 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Masco stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $79.03. 580,859 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,797,897. Masco Co. has a one year low of $57.18 and a one year high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.24. 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 fifty day moving average price of $81.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.02.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Masco's payout ratio is 30.85%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.96.

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.