Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $83.60 Million Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 995,950 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,870 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $83,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Masco by 46.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $79.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.78 and a 200 day moving average of $75.02. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $55.43 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital increased their price target on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

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.