Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stake in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. significantly reduced its stake in Masco Corporation by 94.7%, selling 233,708 shares and now holding only 13,008 shares worth approximately $837,000.
• Insider transactions included a sale of 2,431 shares by CAO Heath M. Eisman and a sale of 82,910 shares by insider Jai Shah, leading to decreases of 16.80% and 67.66% in their respective holdings.
• Masco recently reported Q2 earnings per share of $1.30, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, resulting in a 1.7% yield.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 94.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,008 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 233,708 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Masco were worth $837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in 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 worth $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 2,184 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,007 shares of the construction company's stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Masco by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,131 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,990,000 after purchasing an additional 8,508 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Masco in the 1st quarter worth about $3,946,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in 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 worth $1,726,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $71.09. The stock had a trading volume of 3,003,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,107,595. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $71.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.19. Masco Corporation has a one year low of $56.55 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.82.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.31 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on MAS shares. Oppenheimer set a $79.00 target price on Masco and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Barclays lifted their price target on Masco from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Masco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was 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 $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total value of $181,401.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares in the company, 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.

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.