CenterBook Partners LP Lowers Stock Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

CenterBook Partners LP reduced its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 59.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,357 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 15,483 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Masco were worth $729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAS. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new position in Masco in the third quarter worth about $16,398,000. FORA Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Masco by 203.9% in the 2nd quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 35,603 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,291,000 after buying an additional 23,887 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Masco by 819.8% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 54,745 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,853,000 after acquiring an additional 48,793 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Masco by 33.4% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 62,922 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,429,000 after acquiring an additional 15,770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,245,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Masco from $71.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price target (down previously from $76.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Monday, December 8th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.94.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $75.21 on Friday. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $79.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $68.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.47. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.28.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco declared that its board has initiated 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 generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.21%.

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.