Masco (NYSE:MAS) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MAS. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial upped their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $71.07.

Masco Stock Up 0.2 %

MAS stock opened at $69.87 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $75.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.74. Masco has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $78.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 28.43%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAS. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Masco by 62.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 2.5% in the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 1.6% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,646 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $623,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco by 70.1% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in shares of Masco by 4.4% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,246 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.