Confluence Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Confluence Investment Management reduced its Masco stake by 7.2% in the second quarter, selling 59,924 shares and retaining 768,680 shares valued at approximately $62.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.91% of Masco’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with one Strong Buy, seven Buy, nine Hold and one Sell rating. Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.87.
• Masco exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.64 in EPS versus the $1.32 consensus estimate, although revenue fell 2.9% year over year. The company also maintains a $0.32 quarterly dividend and authorized a $300 million share-repurchase program.

Confluence Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 768,680 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 59,924 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned about 0.38% of Masco worth $62,548,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $194,818,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth approximately $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 443.6% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,330,523 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $164,046,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,815 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Masco by 234.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,624,841 shares of the construction company's stock worth $103,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,098 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Masco by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,063,286 shares of the construction company's stock worth $384,776,000 after purchasing an additional 977,684 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.87.

Masco Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of Masco stock opened at $74.62 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.16 and a twelve month high of $83.64. The stock has a market cap of $14.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.30.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 2,379.08% and a net margin of 11.61%.The firm's revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.43%.

Masco declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco 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.

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