Masco (NYSE:MAS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $89.00 target price on the construction company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $96.00.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their price target on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.46.

Masco Trading Down 1.2 %

Masco stock opened at $77.78 on Monday. Masco has a 52 week low of $63.60 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.66.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its 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. 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 analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 30.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 11.6% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 465,033 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,932,000 after acquiring an additional 48,379 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 14.7% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 142,443 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,497,000 after acquiring an additional 18,287 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Masco during the second quarter worth about $159,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Masco by 22.7% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 62,323 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,033,000 after buying an additional 11,525 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.