Avanza Fonder AB Boosts Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 51.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,898 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,547 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,175,075 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $716,224,000 after purchasing an additional 367,937 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,850,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $411,832,000 after purchasing an additional 58,609 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 32.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Masco by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,001,386 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $321,889,000 after buying an additional 1,635,746 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake 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 buying an additional 267,012 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total value of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $899,719.20. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE MAS opened at $60.35 on Wednesday. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $79.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.27.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.71% and a return on equity of 856.70%. The company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MAS. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price target (down from $76.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $82.00 price objective on Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Zelman & Associates cut Masco to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.