Masco Corporation $MAS Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 27,823,347 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 328,365 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Masco worth $1,765,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its position in Masco by 134.2% in the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 370 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its stake in Masco by 114.5% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 549 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 4.2%

MAS stock opened at $71.19 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $65.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.16 and a fifty-two week high of $79.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.29.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 31.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total transaction of $53,724.24. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at approximately $899,719.20. This represents a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.07.

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.