Masco (NYSE:MAS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

Masco (NYSE:MAS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MAS. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.15.

Masco Stock Up 0.6 %

Masco stock opened at $68.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Masco has a fifty-two week low of $47.66 and a fifty-two week high of $78.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $74.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.34.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 865.37%. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Masco news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction of $385,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 36,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $2,703,076.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 58,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,395,765.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597 over the last quarter. Corporate 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 company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Masco by 25.4% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 25,032 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,974,000 after buying an additional 5,076 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co grew its stake in Masco by 0.7% during the first quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 474,038 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $37,392,000 after buying an additional 3,478 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Masco by 1.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,979,524 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $155,472,000 after buying an additional 22,167 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the first quarter valued at approximately $170,000. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 54.4% during the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,343 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 3,290 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.