Balefire LLC Takes Position in Masco Corporation $MAS

Balefire LLC acquired a new position in Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 16,912 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,021,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Masco by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,371,864 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $278,619,000 after purchasing an additional 267,012 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in Masco by 347.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 102,810 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,237,000 after acquiring an additional 79,834 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in Masco by 37.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 713,598 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,080,000 after acquiring an additional 195,509 shares during the period. Cambiar Investors LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 733.9% during the fourth quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 612,832 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,890,000 after buying an additional 539,339 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $2,123,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Masco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.67.

Key Stories Impacting Masco

Here are the key news stories impacting Masco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Masco to strong-buy from hold, a bullish signal that can support investor sentiment. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst lifted near- and medium-term EPS forecasts, including Q1 2027 to $1.10, Q2 2027 to $1.35, Q3 2027 to $1.18, and Q4 2027 to $1.07, suggesting stronger expected earnings momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: FY2027 EPS was increased to $4.69 from $4.64, and FY2028 EPS was raised to $5.25 from $5.19, reinforcing the view that earnings may continue to grow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also nudged its Q2 2028 EPS estimate higher to $1.43 from $1.41 and Q1 2028 EPS to $1.22 from $1.21.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $78.60 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.56. Masco Corporation has a one year low of $58.16 and a one year high of $83.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. Analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Masco declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 31.76%.

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.