Masco (NYSE:MAS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

Masco (NYSE:MAS) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

MAS has been the subject of several other reports. TheStreet cut Masco from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, August 28th. Argus lifted their price objective on Masco from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Masco from $57.00 to $59.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Masco from $59.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.58.

Masco Stock Up 0.7 %

MAS opened at $55.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 420.86, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.23. Masco has a 12 month low of $42.33 and a 12 month high of $63.85.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The construction company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. Masco had a negative return on equity of 403.37% and a net margin of 9.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 41,200 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Friday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.13, for a total value of $2,518,556.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 31,995 shares in the company, valued at $1,955,854.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 188,040 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.77, for a total transaction of $11,239,150.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 200,305 shares in the company, valued at $11,972,229.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 41,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.13, for a total value of $2,518,556.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 31,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,955,854.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MAS. United Bank lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 23.7% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 12,644 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,425 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 65,264 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 11,337 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 4.8% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 32,103 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 1,466 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Masco in the first quarter valued at about $495,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Masco by 200.0% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 457,744 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,345,000 after buying an additional 305,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.67% 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.