ProShare Advisors LLC Has $2.46 Million Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,889 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,586 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 150,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,950,000 after purchasing an additional 80,841 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Man Group plc increased its stake in Masco by 133.4% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 303,184 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $22,002,000 after buying an additional 173,311 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Masco by 47.6% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 51,861 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,764,000 after buying an additional 16,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $369,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on Masco and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $65.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $13.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 33.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.