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

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.32.

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upped their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 89.0% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Trading Up 1.6 %

Masco stock opened at $70.72 on Tuesday. Masco has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $14.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $75.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.14.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

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.