Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Cuts Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Lecap Asset Management Ltd. has reduced its stock position in Masco Corporation by 46%, selling 11,381 shares to hold 13,336 shares valued at approximately $858,000.
• Insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of Masco, decreasing his ownership by 67.66%, while Masco recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, yielding about 1.7% annually.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Masco, with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging $74.60 after some recent upgrades and downgrades from major financial firms.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 46.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,336 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 11,381 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Masco were worth $858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,522 shares of the construction company's stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 6.3% in the second quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,582 shares of the construction company's stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the second quarter valued at about $235,000. CX Institutional raised its position in shares of Masco by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 5,303 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of Masco 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 sale, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $898,126.32. The trade was a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Baird R W lowered shares of Masco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Masco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $79.00 price objective on Masco and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.60.

Masco Trading Up 1.0%

MAS stock opened at $70.94 on Friday. Masco Corporation has a 52-week low of $56.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63. The firm has a market cap of $14.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $71.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.90.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Masco's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

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.

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