North Dakota State Investment Board Acquires New Shares in Masco Corporation $MAS

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 13,742 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $872,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 443.6% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,330,523 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,046,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,815 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Masco by 32.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,085,602 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $357,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,322 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Masco by 502.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,055,362 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,287,000 after purchasing an additional 880,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 140 Summer Partners LP bought a new stake in Masco in the third quarter valued at about $47,073,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Trading Up 3.4%

MAS opened at $66.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.34. Masco Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.16 and a 12 month high of $79.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.18. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.Masco’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.76%.

Masco declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 13.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MAS shares. Zelman & Associates downgraded Masco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays increased their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.07.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total transaction of $53,724.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at approximately $899,719.20. This trade represents a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Masco 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.