Van ECK Associates Corp Cuts Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Van ECK Associates Corp lowered its stake in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,161,610 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 88,520 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Masco were worth $222,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Masco by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,414 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Masco by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 72,319 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,652,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in Masco by 95.5% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 13,453 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $866,000 after acquiring an additional 6,572 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the second quarter valued at about $219,000. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Masco by 18.8% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 11,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,829 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Up 0.8%

MAS opened at $64.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Masco Corporation has a one year low of $56.55 and a one year high of $79.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $69.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.24.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given 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 yield of 2.0%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.25%.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 13.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their price target on Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.94.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Masco 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.