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

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.15.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MAS shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $66.67 on Friday. Masco has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $78.94. The company’s 50-day moving average is $69.13 and its 200 day moving average is $70.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.43%.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $122,144,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $78,181,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Masco by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Masco by 1,307.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Masco by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 815,888 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,609,000 after purchasing an additional 380,267 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.