Masco (NYSE:MAS) Reaches New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $63.12 and last traded at $63.56, with a volume of 1059015 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Masco from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.50.

Masco Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50-day moving average is $73.68 and its 200-day moving average is $77.30.

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Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Masco by 20.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Masco by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Masco by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after buying an additional 10,100 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Masco by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the period. 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.