Aberdeen Group plc Decreases Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,673 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 22,168 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.10% of Masco worth $13,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 601.1% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 67,204 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 57,618 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 4,501 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 27,558 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,557 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 4,610 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,781 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock opened at $59.18 on Wednesday. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.26. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $79.19. The firm has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.29.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.04. Masco had a return on equity of 856.70% and a net margin of 10.71%.The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Analysts predict 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. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 33.25%.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded Masco to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of Masco 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 in the company, valued at $899,719.20. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.