Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Acquired by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 259,205 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Masco were worth $190,347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Masco by 62.4% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,127 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA grew its holdings in Masco by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 6,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Masco by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,516 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.58.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $78.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 42,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,891,329. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.76. Masco Co. has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $81.91. The stock has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.43%.

About Masco

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.