Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $3.33 Million Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 262.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,351 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,279 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $3,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Masco by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,872,772 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,858,252,000 after buying an additional 1,780,673 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Masco by 16.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,791,561 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $372,859,000 after acquiring an additional 810,881 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Masco by 1.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,296,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $339,391,000 after acquiring an additional 60,672 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 32.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $357,976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,240,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Masco by 48.6% during the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,001,386 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $321,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635,746 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Zelman & Associates lowered Masco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore set a $78.00 price objective on Masco in a research note 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.94.

Masco Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:MAS opened at $63.50 on Wednesday. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $79.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $69.81 and its 200 day moving average is $68.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.27.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its 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. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.25%.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding 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 generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.