Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs increased its Masco stake by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 1,834,962 shares worth about $116.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but generally cautious: analysts currently give Masco an average “Hold” rating with a consensus price target of $80.07, though several firms recently raised targets and one upgraded the stock to “Outperform.”
• Masco reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.04 per share for the latest quarter, while revenue came in below estimates; the company also pays a quarterly dividend and has a $2 billion share repurchase authorization in place.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,834,962 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 171,524 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned 0.88% of Masco worth $116,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MAS. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Masco by 2.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,414 shares of the construction company's stock worth $724,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the second quarter valued at $238,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Masco by 14.8% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 25,555 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,645,000 after buying an additional 3,294 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter worth $415,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 31,832 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,049,000 after buying an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore raised shares of Masco from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. 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 report on Wednesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Masco from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.07.

Masco Trading Down 0.6%

Masco stock opened at $69.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.83. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $58.16 and a 52 week high of $79.19. The stock has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.31. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.76%.

Masco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 13.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Masco

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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