Masco (NYSE:MAS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Masco from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $68.92.

Masco Stock Up 1.6 %

MAS opened at $77.85 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.82. Masco has a twelve month low of $46.69 and a twelve month high of $78.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $17.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.93%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its holdings in Masco by 22.9% during the third quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 141,596 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,568,000 after buying an additional 26,360 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 257,151 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,745,000 after purchasing an additional 55,407 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,404,000 after purchasing an additional 711,988 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.6% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 196,339 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,494,000 after purchasing an additional 41,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,937,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $103,544,000 after purchasing an additional 71,996 shares in the last quarter. 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.