Masco Corporation $MAS Position Increased by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 97.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,516 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,161 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Masco worth $12,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Masco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $122,990,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,872,772 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,858,252,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,673 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in Masco by 48.6% during the second 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 32.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Masco by 16.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,791,561 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $372,859,000 after buying an additional 810,881 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MAS. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Masco to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $899,719.20. This represents a 5.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $71.58 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.27. Masco Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $79.19.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. 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 yield of 1.8%. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 33.25%.

Masco declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Company Profile

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.