Short Interest in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) Decreases By 15.0%

Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,261,485 shares, a decline of 15.0% from the February 26th total of 8,546,662 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,372,834 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at approximately $899,719.20. This trade represents a 5.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,235,505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $649,545,000 after acquiring an additional 60,430 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Masco by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,063,286 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $384,776,000 after purchasing an additional 977,684 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in Masco by 1.0% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,635,746 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Masco by 76.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,826,584 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $306,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,085,454 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MAS. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price target (down from $76.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Evercore set a $78.00 price objective on Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.33.

Masco Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:MAS opened at $60.70 on Thursday. Masco has a one year low of $56.55 and a one year high of $79.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.69.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Masco declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.