Brokerages Set Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) Target Price at $76.94

Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.9375.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MAS. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings cut Masco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Masco from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $82.00 price objective on Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Thursday, February 12th.

Masco Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $61.51 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.93. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27. Masco has a fifty-two week low of $56.55 and a fifty-two week high of $79.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.75.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. Masco had a net margin of 10.71% and a return on equity of 856.70%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.25%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Masco news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 747 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.92, for a total value of $53,724.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,510 shares in the company, valued at $899,719.20. This represents a 5.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Masco by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,872,772 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,858,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780,673 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Masco by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,235,505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $649,545,000 after acquiring an additional 60,430 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,063,286 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $384,776,000 after purchasing an additional 977,684 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Masco by 1.0% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,850,170 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $411,832,000 after purchasing an additional 58,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,296,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $339,391,000 after purchasing an additional 60,672 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

About Masco

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.