Masco (NYSE:MAS) Upgraded to Outperform at Oppenheimer

Masco (NYSE:MAS) was upgraded by Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Friday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a $89.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s target price suggests a potential upside of 22.91% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.96.

Masco Stock Down 0.1 %

MAS stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 159,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 922,423. Masco has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. Masco’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MAS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 6.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Masco by 1.0% during the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 14,846 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.