Bridgewater Associates LP Sells 78,705 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Bridgewater Associates LP reduced its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 58.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,766 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 78,705 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,619 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.1% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 20,182 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,590,000 after buying an additional 4,183 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth about $8,526,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Masco by 507.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 29,148 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 24,352 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 42.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 11,832 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This trade represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MAS opened at $80.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $17.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $81.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.69. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $59.72 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

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.