Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $81.75.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Masco from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Masco Trading Down 2.0 %

MAS stock opened at $81.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18. Masco has a twelve month low of $49.24 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.31.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction 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 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MAS. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 3,884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $218,000. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 40,218 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $233,000. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $203,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.