Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,261,485 shares, a decline of 15.0% from the February 26th total of 8,546,662 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,372,834 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective (down from $76.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Monday, December 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total transaction of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at $899,719.20. This trade represents a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $194,818,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 443.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,330,523 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,046,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,815 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,001,386 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $321,889,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635,746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Masco by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of MAS stock opened at $60.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.73. Masco has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $79.19.

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

Masco declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

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.