VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys Shares of 251,291 Masco Corporation $MAS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 251,291 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,173,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in Masco during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $50,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MAS opened at $67.87 on Monday. Masco Corporation has a twelve month low of $56.55 and a twelve month high of $86.20. 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 stock has a market cap of $14.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $71.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.71.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. Masco had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 1,519.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.20 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. The trade was a 67.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MAS shares. Zacks Research raised Masco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on 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 Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.60.

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.