Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management cut its Masco stake by 51.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 78,430 shares and leaving it with 74,934 shares worth about $4.87 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Masco is mixed: analysts have an average Hold rating with a consensus target price of $80.07, though UBS and Goldman Sachs recently reiterated Buy ratings while others lowered targets.
• Masco reported stronger-than-expected EPS of $1.04 in its latest quarter, but revenue missed estimates; the company also paid a $0.32 quarterly dividend and has a $2 billion share buyback authorization.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 51.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,934 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 78,430 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $4,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Masco by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,414 shares of the construction company's stock worth $724,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $238,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Masco by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 25,555 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 3,294 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $415,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Masco by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 31,832 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,413 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on MAS. UBS Group lifted their target price on Masco from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.07.

Masco Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MAS stock opened at $69.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.16 and a 1 year high of $79.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $67.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.31.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

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

Masco declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 13.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Company 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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