Scientech Research LLC Boosts Stake in Masco Corporation $MAS

Key Points

• Scientech Research LLC increased its stake in Masco Corporation by 54.5%, owning 9,512 shares valued at $661,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Invesco Ltd., have significantly increased their positions in Masco during the first quarter.
• Masco recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.30, surpassing analysts' estimates, with a projected EPS of 4.34 for the current fiscal year.

Scientech Research LLC lifted its stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS - Free Report) by 54.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,512 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 3,354 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC's holdings in Masco were worth $661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $126,057,000. Wealthquest Corp bought a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $111,722,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Masco by 47.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,159,518 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $289,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,889 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Masco by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,092,099 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,883,985,000 after acquiring an additional 984,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Masco by 3,597.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 959,490 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $66,723,000 after acquiring an additional 933,537 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company's stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $73.68. 1,639,511 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,150,326. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $70.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.42 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.19.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 1,519.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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 stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird cut Masco from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital restated a "hold" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective (up from $62.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total transaction of $181,401.22. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This represents a 16.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. This represents a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.