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

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.58.

Several research firms have commented on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 12,355.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 15,071 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 14,950 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Masco by 91.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 61,313 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,107,000 after buying an additional 29,285 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 150.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 177,727 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,904,000 after acquiring an additional 106,767 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 78,847 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,296,000 after acquiring an additional 9,189 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

NYSE MAS opened at $76.07 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a twelve month low of $47.66 and a twelve month high of $79.54. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

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.