Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 13,231 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 2.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 556,445 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 13,231 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $39,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in Masco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,398,000. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Masco by 819.8% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 54,745 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,853,000 after buying an additional 48,793 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 203.9% in the second quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 35,603 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,291,000 after buying an additional 23,887 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 33.4% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 62,922 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,429,000 after buying an additional 15,770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,245,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the company’s 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 owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $899,719.20. This represents a 5.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Masco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $78.00 target price on Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price target (down from $76.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.94.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS opened at $63.66 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.33. The firm has a market cap of $12.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 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. Masco Corporation has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $79.19.

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

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Masco’s 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.