VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Sells 18,200 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its stake in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 233,091 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,200 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Masco were worth $14,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 443.6% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,330,523 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,046,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,815 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 32.3% during the third 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. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 502.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,055,362 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,287,000 after purchasing an additional 880,076 shares during the period. Finally, 140 Summer Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,073,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total transaction of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $899,719.20. This trade represents a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $67.46 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.21. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.16 and a 12 month high of $79.19.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Masco from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Masco from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.