Masco Corporation (MAS) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $81.82.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Zacks Research lowered Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Evercore downgraded shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth Cole sold 34,470 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total value of $2,779,660.80. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 39,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,201,408. This represents a 46.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Masco during the second quarter worth $1,278,943,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the second quarter worth about $178,424,000. Amundi increased its position in shares of Masco by 17.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,152,818 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $129,977,000 after acquiring an additional 320,230 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,961,592 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $118,421,000 after acquiring an additional 158,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter worth about $149,673,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Masco Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of MAS traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.72. 1,536,600 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,450,130. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Masco has a 52 week low of $58.16 and a 52 week high of $87.86.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The construction company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. Masco had a negative return on equity of 1,807.69% and a net margin of 12.07%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Masco will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 27.71%.

Masco Company Profile

Masco Corporation is a manufacturer of home improvement and building products, serving residential construction, repair and remodeling markets. Its products are sold primarily in North America and Europe, as well as in other markets around the world. The company’s Plumbing Products include faucets, showering and bathing products, and related fixtures and accessories. Its brands include Delta Faucet, Brizo, Peerless and hansgrohe. Masco also makes decorative architectural products, including paints and coatings sold under the BEHR and KILZ brands.