Masco (NYSE:MAS) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MAS. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.96.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $77.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $81.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.29. The stock has a market cap of $16.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a 12 month low of $58.89 and a 12 month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This trade represents a 50.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 3.6% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 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.