Masco (NYSE:MAS) Now Covered by Vertical Research

Vertical Research assumed coverage on shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a hold rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MAS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on Masco from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Loop Capital restated a “hold” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective (up from $62.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Monday, August 4th. Baird R W cut Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Masco from $62.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.60.

Masco Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $68.74 on Monday. Masco has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $85.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $71.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.63. The firm has a market cap of $14.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.18.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. Masco had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 1,519.31%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. This trade represents a 67.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total value of $181,401.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,126.32. The trade was a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 69.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,110 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 5,378 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 24,832 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,726,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Masco by 148.2% in the 1st quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,050 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 4,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,131 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,990,000 after acquiring an additional 8,508 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.