Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.32.

A number of equities analysts have commented on MAS shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays increased their price target on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Masco by 13,069.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 29,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after acquiring an additional 29,406 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 40.0% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,860 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,242,000 after purchasing an additional 4,249 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the third quarter worth about $218,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 8.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 3,884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Masco by 1.0% in the third quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 410,225 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,434,000 after buying an additional 3,983 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $72.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.82. Masco has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.