Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.96.

Several brokerages have commented on MAS. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Masco Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE MAS opened at $73.52 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. Masco has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $77.08 and a 200-day moving average of $77.39.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. Masco’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Institutional Trading of Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Masco in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Masco by 59.4% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Masco by 86.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 673 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.