Advisory Alpha LLC Boosts Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,508 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAS. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth about $56,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $65.13 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.82. Masco Corporation has a 1 year low of $56.55 and a 1 year high of $83.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 1,519.31% and a net margin of 10.51%.Masco’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-3.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.89%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total transaction of $181,401.22. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.86.

Masco Profile

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.