Swiss National Bank Acquires 34,700 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 6.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 609,600 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 34,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Masco were worth $36,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in Masco by 2,550.0% in the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 424 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 114.5% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 549 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAS. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Masco from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.67.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $78.08 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.29. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.16 and a twelve month high of $83.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.76%.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Profile

Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, the company has evolved from a small door?bell manufacturer into a diversified enterprise serving both residential and commercial markets. Over its history, Masco has grown through a combination of organic innovation and strategic acquisitions, building a portfolio of well-recognized brands.

The company’s product offerings are organized into two primary segments.