Ariel Investments LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Ariel Investments LLC has decreased its stake in Masco Corporation by 8.4%, selling 85,953 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with approximately 941,986 shares valued at $65.5 million.
• Masco recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.24 with a yield of 1.7%.
• Despite an earnings beat with a reported $1.30 EPS for the last quarter, Masco's revenue declined by 1.9% year-over-year, leading to a FY 2025 EPS guidance of 3.900-4.100.

Ariel Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 941,986 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 85,953 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC owned about 0.45% of Masco worth $65,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Masco by 120.2% during the first quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in Masco in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MAS traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $75.30. 915,229 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,142,584. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.19. 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 one year low of $56.55 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.96.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 1,519.31% and a net margin of 10.51%.The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $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 fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Masco's payout ratio is 32.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the business'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 transaction, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total transaction of $181,401.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $898,126.32. This trade 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Loop Capital restated 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. Oppenheimer set a $79.00 price objective on Masco and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report 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 given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.13.

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.