Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target Raised to $82.00 at Evercore ISI

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target boosted by Evercore ISI from $78.00 to $82.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MAS. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Masco from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.85.

Masco Stock Down 1.2 %

Masco stock opened at $80.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.45. Masco has a twelve month low of $51.72 and a twelve month high of $86.70. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Donald L. Hagan LLC grew its position in Masco by 2.9% during the third quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 19,584 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the period. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC grew its position in Masco by 57.4% during the third quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 8,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $753,000 after acquiring an additional 3,272 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Masco by 22.3% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 413,896 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,742,000 after acquiring an additional 75,503 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its position in Masco by 9.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 445,459 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $37,392,000 after acquiring an additional 39,304 shares during the period. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the third quarter valued at about $77,000. 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.