Blue Trust Inc. Grows Holdings in Masco Corporation $MAS

Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 38.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,928 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAS. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the first quarter worth about $126,057,000. Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in shares of Masco in the first quarter worth $111,722,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 47.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,159,518 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $289,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,889 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 3.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,092,099 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,883,985,000 after purchasing an additional 984,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 3,597.0% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 959,490 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,723,000 after purchasing an additional 933,537 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, 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 directly owned 39,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,014,073.52. This represents a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $898,126.32. This trade represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of MAS opened at $68.06 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.82. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.55 and a 52 week high of $86.20.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Masco had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 1,519.31%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer set a $79.00 price target on shares of Masco and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Baird R W cut shares of Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.60.

Masco 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.