Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.15.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MAS shares. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Masco by 62.4% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 70.1% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank raised its stake in Masco by 91.7% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 575 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $67.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.80. Masco has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company has a market cap of $14.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.27.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

About Masco

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.