Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Sells 14,946 Shares of Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management slashed its Masco stake by 90.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,946 shares and leaving it with 1,571 shares valued at about $100,000.
• Masco recently beat earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $1.04 versus the $0.88 consensus, though revenue of $1.92 billion came in below estimates. The company also lifted its full-year guidance to 4.10-4.30 EPS.
• Masco boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.32 per share and authorized a $2 billion share buyback, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $80.07 price target.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR decreased its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 90.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,571 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 14,946 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Masco were worth $100,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAS. State Street Corp increased its position in Masco by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,175,075 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $716,224,000 after purchasing an additional 367,937 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,850,170 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $411,832,000 after purchasing an additional 58,609 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Masco by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,371,864 shares of the construction company's stock worth $278,619,000 after buying an additional 267,012 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth $192,948,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Masco to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Masco from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on Masco from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Masco from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.07.

Masco Trading Down 0.0%

MAS opened at $71.73 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $65.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.20. Masco Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.16 and a 1-year high of $79.19. The company has a market cap of $14.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.34. 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 (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Masco's payout ratio is 31.76%.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total transaction of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at $899,719.20. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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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