National Pension Service Boosts Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

National Pension Service raised its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,239 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,754 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Masco were worth $5,164,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MAS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Masco by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,311,261 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $212,351,000 after purchasing an additional 206,311 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the first quarter worth about $3,946,000. Tredje AP fonden lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 25.7% during the second quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 22,038 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 4,507 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Masco by 43.4% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 155,019 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,977,000 after buying an additional 46,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,893 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,066,000 after buying an additional 12,686 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total value of $6,304,476.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 39,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,014,073.52. This trade represents a 67.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total transaction of $181,401.22. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,126.32. This represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on MAS shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Vertical Research began coverage on Masco in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.53.

Masco Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Masco stock opened at $60.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.53, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.88. Masco Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $83.06. The company has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 1,317.38%. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-3.95 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.79%.

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.