Masco (NYSE:MAS) Hits New 12-Month High at $78.94

Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $78.94 and last traded at $78.88, with a volume of 1619682 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $77.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on MAS. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Masco from $65.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on Masco from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Masco from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Masco in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.92.

Masco Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $17.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $73.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.05.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.79 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 3,111.50% and a net margin of 11.40%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 28.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of Masco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $3,249,270.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Richard Allan Marshall sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.05, for a total value of $385,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,328.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 42,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was 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 directly owns 15,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,778.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,762 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,597. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAS. DecisionPoint Financial LLC acquired a new position in Masco during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 270.6% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 667 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Masco by 137.5% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 532 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 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.