KBC Group NV Purchases 338,925 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 91.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 338,925 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Masco were worth $51,440,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Masco in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Masco by 59.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 3.3 %

MAS stock opened at $81.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.29. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Masco from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.27.

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.