Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target Increased to $79.00 by Analysts at Citigroup

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective raised by Citigroup from $74.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the construction company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $69.62.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $76.88 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.83. Masco has a one year low of $46.69 and a one year high of $78.94. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $16.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,395,765.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Masco by 10.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,285 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $8,495,000. Boltwood Capital Management raised its stake in Masco by 3.6% during the first quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 5,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $304,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Masco by 62.4% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.