Vontobel Holding Ltd. Trims Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) by 10.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,487 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,297 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Masco were worth $4,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 120.2% during the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Steph & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $65.00 on Friday. Masco Corporation has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $13.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $71.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.80.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. Masco had a return on equity of 1,519.31% and a net margin of 10.51%.The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’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. Research analysts anticipate that Masco Corporation will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Zacks Research raised Masco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Masco from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on Masco from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. This trade represents a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total value of $181,401.22. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,126.32. This represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.