Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

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

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on MAS. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, February 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer started coverage on Masco in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Masco from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.92.

Masco Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS traded up $1.26 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $77.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,706,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,128,435. Masco has a fifty-two week low of $46.69 and a fifty-two week high of $78.85. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $73.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.82. The stock has a market cap of $17.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. Masco’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the vice president now owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,208,778.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Masco by 118,819.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,978,187 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $325,672,000 after purchasing an additional 6,972,319 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $122,144,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Masco during the 1st quarter valued at $44,883,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Masco by 209.6% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,251,223 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,795,000 after acquiring an additional 847,062 shares during the period. Finally, Harris Associates L P grew its stake in shares of Masco by 8.7% in the second quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 9,728,394 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $558,215,000 after purchasing an additional 781,049 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.