Masco (NYSE:MAS) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

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

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.96.

Masco Price Performance

MAS opened at $78.42 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Masco has a 1 year low of $58.89 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The firm has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for 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%. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 50.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth about $82,363,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 956.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 989,640 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $83,070,000 after buying an additional 895,950 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 66.5% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,581,000 after buying an additional 728,690 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after buying an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Masco by 55.8% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,391,000 after buying an additional 551,203 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.