Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Boosted by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 17.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,766 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 15,282 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $8,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Masco during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 46.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 850.8% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 599 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:MAS traded down $0.05 on Monday, reaching $80.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,410,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,787,673. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.66 and a 200 day moving average of $75.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market cap of $17.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $61.82 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MAS. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.