Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $85.96.

MAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Masco Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $76.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $16.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a 1 year low of $58.89 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.34.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,516 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Masco by 456.1% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 14,670 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,157,000 after buying an additional 12,032 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at $296,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of Masco by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 210,512 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,600,000 after acquiring an additional 22,540 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Masco during the first quarter worth $264,000. Institutional investors 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.