Masco (NYSE:MAS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $72.15.

Masco Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $69.85 on Thursday. Masco has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.17 and a 200-day moving average of $66.98. The company has a market cap of $15.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.43%.

Insider Activity at Masco

In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $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. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Masco by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,787,414 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,378,337,000 after purchasing an additional 298,116 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,769,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,341,000 after buying an additional 140,334 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,180,364 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $615,282,000 after buying an additional 159,052 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Masco by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,574,976 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $373,411,000 after buying an additional 254,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Masco by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,934,986 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $210,325,000 after buying an additional 145,472 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.