Caxton Associates LLP Takes Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP purchased 19,280 shares of Masco Corporation, valued at approximately $1.34 million, signaling increased institutional interest in the company.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Masco stock, with Royal Bank of Canada adjusting their target from $62.00 to $71.00, reflecting positive sentiment in the market.
• Masco reported $1.30 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, despite a 1.9% decrease in revenue compared to the previous year.

Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 19,280 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,341,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 23,008 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,580,000 after buying an additional 2,184 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,007 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $769,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,131 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,990,000 after buying an additional 8,508 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,946,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 24,832 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,726,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total value of $181,401.22. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This trade represents a 16.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MAS. Loop Capital reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $73.00 price target (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Masco from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.60.

Masco Stock Down 2.1%

Masco stock traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $73.68. 1,639,511 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,932,812. The company has a market cap of $15.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.19. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63. The company has a fifty day moving average of $70.37 and a 200-day moving average of $67.05.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 1,519.31%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is 32.89%.

About Masco

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.