Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.15.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $69.54 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.35. 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 12-month low of $47.66 and a 12-month high of $78.94. The firm has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.04, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.28.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. Masco’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, 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 Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $122,144,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the first quarter valued at approximately $78,181,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 15.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $284,404,000 after acquiring an additional 711,988 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 1,307.8% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 686,794 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,708,000 after purchasing an additional 638,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Masco by 443.5% in the 3rd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 502,157 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,829,000 after purchasing an additional 409,767 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.