Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Receives $72.15 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.15.

MAS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup upped their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday.

Masco Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $70.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Masco’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Masco by 1.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,378,337,000 after purchasing an additional 298,116 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P increased its position 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 during the period. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Masco by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,180,364 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $615,282,000 after buying an additional 159,052 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,574,976 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $373,411,000 after acquiring an additional 254,040 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,934,986 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $210,325,000 after acquiring an additional 145,472 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.