Masco Corporation $MAS Shares Purchased by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 10.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,242,163 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 113,317 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.62% of Masco worth $74,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its position in shares of Masco by 37.0% in the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 18,103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 4,892 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 115,124 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,950,000 after purchasing an additional 16,875 shares during the last quarter. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth about $140,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Masco by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,229,671 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,219,000 after buying an additional 36,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balefire LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,021,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Masco from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Masco from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.67.

Masco Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $79.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07. Masco Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.16 and a 12-month high of $83.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $74.41 and a 200 day moving average of $70.01.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.76%.

Masco Company 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.