Masco (NYSE:MAS) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $81.82 and last traded at $81.3090, with a volume of 2626939 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $80.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MAS. Citigroup lowered their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Evercore raised shares of Masco from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Masco from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.07.

Masco Stock Up 1.0%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 109.07, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.16. Masco had a return on equity of 815.20% and a net margin of 10.90%.The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Masco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Masco Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 31.76%.

Masco announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MAS. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Masco by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 829 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Masco by 3.9% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 4,017 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 6,565 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nelson Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Masco by 0.4% during the third quarter. Nelson Capital Management LLC now owns 38,516 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,711,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Company Profile

Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, the company has evolved from a small door‐bell manufacturer into a diversified enterprise serving both residential and commercial markets. Over its history, Masco has grown through a combination of organic innovation and strategic acquisitions, building a portfolio of well-recognized brands.

The company’s product offerings are organized into two primary segments.