Squarepoint Ops LLC Increases Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 53.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 325,344 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 113,938 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $23,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $129,306,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,157,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,678,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,821,629 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $204,766,000 after buying an additional 360,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,440,000 after buying an additional 338,925 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on shares of Masco and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price target on shares of Masco and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $65.87 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.67. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

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.