Masco (NYSE:MAS) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup cut their target price on Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.85.

Masco Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE MAS opened at $80.34 on Wednesday. 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 $51.72 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $17.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $81.56 and its 200 day moving average is $74.45.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 602.39% and a net margin of 11.59%. 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 business posted $1.00 EPS. Masco’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Masco will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in shares of Masco by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 542,096 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $42,245,000 after purchasing an additional 67,806 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the first quarter worth approximately $1,903,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the second quarter worth approximately $82,363,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 2.8% in 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 last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 119.1% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 290,123 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,885,000 after purchasing an additional 157,711 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.