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

StockNews.com cut shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Masco Stock Down 1.7 %

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 stock has a market cap of $16.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.86 and a 200 day moving average of $75.29. Masco has a twelve month low of $58.89 and a twelve month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the 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. This represents a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the first quarter valued at approximately $476,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the first quarter valued at $280,000. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,516 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in Masco by 12.0% during the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,264 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,677,000 after buying an additional 2,275 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter worth $445,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.