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

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.58.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 542,096 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,245,000 after buying an additional 67,806 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter worth $1,903,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at about $82,363,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares during the period. Finally, Harris Associates L P boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,769,194 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $654,341,000 after buying an additional 140,334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Masco stock opened at $82.37 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. Masco has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $84.69. The company has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.70 and a 200 day moving average of $73.63.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast 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, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

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.