AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 255,776 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Masco Corporation by 29.1%, selling 255,776 shares and now holding 624,270 shares valued at approximately $42.7 million.
• Insider trading activity included CAO Heath M. Eisman selling 2,431 shares and Jai Shah selling 82,910 shares, indicating a significant decrease in their positions by 16.80% and 67.66% respectively.
• Masco recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.6%.

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 29.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 624,270 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 255,776 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.30% of Masco worth $42,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in Masco by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 43,407 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,150,000 after purchasing an additional 4,776 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,901 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Masco by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,762,250 shares of the construction company's stock worth $200,456,000 after acquiring an additional 305,156 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 48,994 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,555,000 after acquiring an additional 5,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Masco by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 27,602 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird lowered Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Baird R W downgraded shares of Masco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.60.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE:MAS traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $73.68. 1,639,511 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,932,812. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.89%.

Insider Activity

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

Masco Company Profile

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.