Masco Corporation $MAS Position Decreased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 64.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 307,347 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 563,201 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Masco were worth $18,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 2,550.0% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 424 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 114.5% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 549 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock opened at $76.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.75. Masco Corporation has a 52 week low of $58.16 and a 52 week high of $83.21. The stock has a market cap of $15.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.29. 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 (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.32 dividend. 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 1.7%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 31.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Masco from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.67.

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.