Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 50.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 197,246 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 66,072 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned about 0.09% of Masco worth $13,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 62.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.58.

Masco Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:MAS traded down $1.13 on Friday, reaching $82.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,147,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,883,281. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. The firm has a market cap of $18.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $83.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.07.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.43%.

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.