Masco (NYSE:MAS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

MAS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a market perform rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $72.15.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $69.85 on Thursday. Masco has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 a total of 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Masco by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,792 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,005,000 after purchasing an additional 15,591 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Masco by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 229,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,372,000 after acquiring an additional 18,140 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Masco by 264.5% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 18,219 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after acquiring an additional 13,221 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 344,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,051,000 after acquiring an additional 21,165 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Masco by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 153,446 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,278,000 after acquiring an additional 31,992 shares during the period. 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.