Royal Bank of Canada Raises Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $80.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of Masco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Masco in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $72.15.

Masco Stock Down 0.0 %

MAS stock opened at $69.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Masco has a 52-week low of $47.66 and a 52-week high of $78.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Masco by 3.2% in the first quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 181,466 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,334,000 after acquiring an additional 5,557 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth $205,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Masco by 1.3% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 232,411 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,333,000 after purchasing an additional 2,904 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 4.8% during the first quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,149 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the first quarter worth $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.