JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $80.00 to $83.50 in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Masco from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.96.

Masco Price Performance

MAS stock opened at $81.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.75, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $81.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.62. Masco has a 52-week low of $54.55 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced 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 return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 30.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total value of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Masco by 2.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,300,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,074,591,000 after purchasing an additional 721,117 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,830,723 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $655,414,000 after acquiring an additional 181,515 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Masco by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,950,880 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $241,825,000 after acquiring an additional 26,259 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in Masco by 10.0% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,855,056 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $190,347,000 after purchasing an additional 259,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in Masco by 16.6% during the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,245,644 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $177,136,000 after purchasing an additional 319,029 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently 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.