Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 113,938 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 53.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 325,344 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 113,938 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.15% of Masco worth $23,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 7,914 shares of the construction company's stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Trading Down 1.4%

MAS stock traded down $0.90 on Monday, reaching $61.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,678,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,802,242. The firm has a market cap of $13.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.23. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Masco's payout ratio is 33.88%.

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.