Diversified Trust Co Purchases 8,492 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 9.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 94,510 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,492 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Masco were worth $6,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Kenneth Cole sold 34,470 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,779,660.80. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 39,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,201,408. This trade represents a 46.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $90.00 target price (up from $88.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Argus lifted their price target on Masco from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Melius Research assumed coverage on Masco in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.82.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $84.72 on Friday. Masco Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.16 and a fifty-two week high of $87.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $73.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $16.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The construction company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Masco had a negative return on equity of 1,807.69% and a net margin of 12.07%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.71%.

Masco Profile

Masco Corporation is a manufacturer of home improvement and building products, serving residential construction, repair and remodeling markets. Its products are sold primarily in North America and Europe, as well as in other markets around the world. The company’s Plumbing Products include faucets, showering and bathing products, and related fixtures and accessories. Its brands include Delta Faucet, Brizo, Peerless and hansgrohe. Masco also makes decorative architectural products, including paints and coatings sold under the BEHR and KILZ brands.