Legal & General Group Plc Sells 424,493 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,102,800 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 424,493 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.53% of Masco worth $69,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 443.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,330,523 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $164,046,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,815 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,240,322 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 502.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,055,362 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,287,000 after acquiring an additional 880,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 140 Summer Partners LP bought a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,073,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Masco Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $70.32 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $58.16 and a 52-week high of $79.19. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $66.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.44. The company has a market capitalization of $14.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.34.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. Masco’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. Equities analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 31.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MAS. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Masco to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore upgraded shares of Masco from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. 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 report 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco 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.