Norges Bank Acquires Shares of 3,069,935 Masco Corporation $MAS

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,069,935 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,818,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.48% of Masco at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Masco in the third quarter valued at $192,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,901,815 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,240,322 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 880,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 140 Summer Partners LP acquired a new position in Masco in the third quarter valued at $47,073,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Masco from $96.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.07.

Masco Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE MAS opened at $69.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31. Masco Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.16 and a 52-week high of $79.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.07 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 815.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.76%.

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

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.