StockNews.com Upgrades Masco (NYSE:MAS) to “Buy”

Masco (NYSE:MAS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MAS. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.07.

Masco Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $69.85 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $75.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.88. The company has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76. Masco has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MAS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $122,144,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Masco during the first quarter valued at about $78,181,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Masco by 15.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,320,936 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,404,000 after buying an additional 711,988 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 1,307.8% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 686,794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,708,000 after buying an additional 638,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 443.5% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 502,157 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,829,000 after buying an additional 409,767 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.