BNP Paribas Financial Markets Raises Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its Masco stake by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 547,051 shares worth about $34.7 million.
• Masco reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, posting $1.04 EPS versus the $0.88 estimate, though revenue of $1.92 billion came in below expectations.
• The company is returning cash to shareholders through a new $2 billion share repurchase authorization and a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 547,051 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 53,851 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.26% of Masco worth $34,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Masco by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,175,075 shares of the construction company's stock worth $716,224,000 after purchasing an additional 367,937 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Masco by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,850,170 shares of the construction company's stock worth $411,832,000 after purchasing an additional 58,609 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Masco by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company's stock worth $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Masco by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,371,864 shares of the construction company's stock worth $278,619,000 after purchasing an additional 267,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $194,818,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $69.67 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.16 and a 12 month high of $79.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.62. The stock has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Masco's payout ratio is currently 31.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Masco from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of Masco from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.07.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MAS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.