Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $92.00 to $93.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the construction company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.38% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on MAS. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.85.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $79.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.45. Masco has a one year low of $51.72 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a market capitalization of $17.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 539,398 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,548,000 after acquiring an additional 7,064 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $389,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $211,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $221,000. 93.91% of the stock is 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.