Jefferies Financial Group Raises Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $96.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $89.00 to $96.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 14.31% from the company’s current price.

MAS has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial raised their target price on Masco from $81.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.58.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS stock traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $83.98. The company had a trading volume of 726,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,832,377. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $84.69.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.02. Masco had a return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the 2nd quarter valued at about $82,363,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at $78,181,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Masco by 66.5% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,823,934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $121,581,000 after purchasing an additional 728,690 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 55.8% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,538,952 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $121,391,000 after purchasing an additional 551,203 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.