Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.32.

MAS has been the subject of several research reports. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Institutional Trading of Masco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commerce Bank grew its position in shares of Masco by 15.0% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 14,451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,888 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. purchased a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth $208,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in Masco by 9.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,319 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at about $470,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 75.2% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the construction company's stock worth $217,000 after buying an additional 1,109 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Masco stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $70.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,984,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,490. The stock has a market cap of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. Masco has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.43 and a 200-day moving average of $77.98.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco's payout ratio is 32.98%.

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.