Masco (NYSE:MAS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Masco (NYSE:MAS) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on MAS. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.58.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $83.82 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.44. The company has a market cap of $18.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a one year low of $47.66 and a one year high of $84.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Masco by 132.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 61,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,104,000 after buying an additional 34,960 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Masco by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 102,926 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,894,000 after purchasing an additional 4,154 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in Masco by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 29,217 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 6,932 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $3,331,000. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Masco by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 413,213 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,677,000 after purchasing an additional 23,510 shares during 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.