Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Purchased by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 329,254 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,212 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.15% of Masco worth $23,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 105.9% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,882 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,153,000 after buying an additional 8,168 shares during the last quarter. KKM Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 35,693 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,718 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 302,128 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $21,925,000 after acquiring an additional 12,372 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 65,085 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,723,000 after acquiring an additional 16,891 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Masco by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,149 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $767,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.9%

MAS traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $67.27. 1,915,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,786,928. The firm's fifty day moving average is $65.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.10. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market cap of $14.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Masco's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Masco's payout ratio is currently 33.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Masco in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Masco and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Masco from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Masco 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.