Masco (NYSE:MAS) Given New $91.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective lowered by UBS Group from $94.00 to $91.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Loop Capital upped their price target on Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.58.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $76.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Masco has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a market cap of $16.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $76.53 and its 200-day moving average is $78.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after purchasing an additional 194,297 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Masco by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $371,265,000 after buying an additional 58,739 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Masco by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $235,881,000 after buying an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,569,000 after acquiring an additional 185,286 shares during 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.