Masco (NYSE:MAS) Receives Sector Perform Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada restated their sector perform rating on shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $74.00 target price on the construction company’s stock.

MAS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.58.

Masco Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $76.71 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.70. Masco has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $16.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 30.85%.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $864,103,000 after buying an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $371,265,000 after acquiring an additional 58,739 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,569,000 after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.