Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Lowers Stock Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board decreased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,320 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 44,221 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Masco were worth $2,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Commerce Bank raised its position in Masco by 15.0% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 14,451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,888 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 5.9% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 83,459 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,006,000 after acquiring an additional 4,620 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at $1,152,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its position in shares of Masco by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 12,260 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 21,521 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 3,840 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $85.96.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock traded up $0.84 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $77.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,224,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,801,984. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.34. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.89 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Company 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.