Park Avenue Securities LLC Sells 13,402 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Park Avenue Securities LLC lowered its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,477 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 13,402 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Masco by 3.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,175,075 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $716,224,000 after acquiring an additional 367,937 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Masco by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,850,170 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $411,832,000 after purchasing an additional 58,609 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 48.6% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,001,386 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $321,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635,746 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Masco by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,104,852 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $286,396,000 after purchasing an additional 793,591 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $60.35 on Wednesday. Masco Corporation has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $79.19. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.72 and a 200-day moving average of $67.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75. The stock has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.27.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 856.70% and a net margin of 10.71%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Masco’s payout ratio is 33.25%.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MAS. Zelman & Associates cut Masco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total value of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $899,719.20. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

About Masco

Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, the company has evolved from a small door‐bell manufacturer into a diversified enterprise serving both residential and commercial markets. Over its history, Masco has grown through a combination of organic innovation and strategic acquisitions, building a portfolio of well-recognized brands.

The company’s product offerings are organized into two primary segments.