18,826 Shares in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) Purchased by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 18,826 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the first quarter worth $241,000. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new position in Masco in the first quarter worth $830,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Masco by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,092,099 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,883,985,000 after purchasing an additional 984,403 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA boosted its holdings in Masco by 4.3% in the first quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 8,639 shares of the construction company's stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 2.3% in the first quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,038,964 shares of the construction company's stock worth $72,250,000 after purchasing an additional 22,885 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $65.90. 1,216,201 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,827,109. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.52. The company has a market cap of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.19.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 1,320.76% and a net margin of 10.30%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Masco's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 target price on Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.03.

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.