Empirical Finance LLC Reduces Stock Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Empirical Finance LLC cut its holdings in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 34.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,259 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 7,874 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 6,291.8% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 28,615,795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,328,467,000 after acquiring an additional 28,168,099 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Masco during the second quarter worth approximately $1,278,943,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $194,818,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Masco during the third quarter valued at approximately $192,948,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $178,424,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $69.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $75.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.82. Masco Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.16 and a 52-week high of $83.64.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 2,379.08% and a net margin of 11.61%.Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAS. Citigroup dropped their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.88.

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.