Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Buys Shares of 7,932 Masco Corporation $MAS

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,932 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Masco by 2.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,414 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $724,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the second quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Masco by 14.8% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 25,555 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 3,294 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Masco in the second quarter worth approximately $415,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Masco by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 31,832 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.88.

Masco Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Masco stock opened at $73.08 on Wednesday. Masco Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.16 and a 1 year high of $83.64. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.08. The company has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. Masco had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 2,379.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.43%.

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.