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

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.15.

MAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price objective 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Masco during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Masco by 62.4% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 70.1% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank increased its stake in shares of Masco by 91.7% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 575 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

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

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

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

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.