Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.58.

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $77.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.76. Masco has a 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $81.91.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Masco by 62.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 4,545.5% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.