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

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

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MAS. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.07.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $69.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,796,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,082,240. The business’s fifty day moving average is $75.23 and its 200-day moving average is $66.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05. The firm has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.25. Masco has a 1-year low of $47.66 and a 1-year high of $78.94.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $2,703,076.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock worth $6,337,597. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Masco by 62.4% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.5% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 1.6% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,646 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 70.1% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in shares of Masco by 4.4% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,246 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.