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

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lowered its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 233,091 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,200 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.11% of Masco worth $14,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Masco by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,371,864 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $278,619,000 after acquiring an additional 267,012 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth $16,398,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Masco by 347.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 102,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,237,000 after acquiring an additional 79,834 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Masco by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 110,856 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,803,000 after acquiring an additional 30,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in Masco by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 106,086 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,467,000 after acquiring an additional 25,608 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total value of $53,724.24. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of MAS opened at $67.46 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $65.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.21. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.16 and a twelve month high of $79.19. The stock has a market cap of $13.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore upgraded Masco from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Masco from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.07.

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.