Earnest Partners LLC Sells 46,049 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Earnest Partners LLC cut its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,261,701 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 46,049 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned 1.09% of Masco worth $159,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Community Bank N.A. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $61.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27. Masco Corporation has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $79.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.71% and a return on equity of 856.70%. The business’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Masco’s payout ratio is 33.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at $899,719.20. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $78.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.94.

Masco Company 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.