Entropy Technologies LP Increases Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 650.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 45,076 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 39,072 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $122,144,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the 1st quarter worth about $78,181,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Masco by 967.9% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 415,406 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,767,000 after acquiring an additional 376,506 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Masco by 1.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,378,337,000 after purchasing an additional 298,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Masco by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,957,357 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $131,437,000 after purchasing an additional 254,285 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays cut their price target on Masco from $87.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.69.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.18. 1,793,978 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,936,940. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $68.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.91. The company has a market cap of $16.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco Co. has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

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.