Masco (NYSE:MAS) Earns “Sector Perform” Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed their sector perform rating on shares of Masco (NYSE:MAS) in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $74.00 target price on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MAS. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Masco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.58.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $76.71 on Wednesday. Masco has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,294,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $864,103,000 after acquiring an additional 194,297 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Masco by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,129,771 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $371,265,000 after purchasing an additional 58,739 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Masco by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,520 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Masco by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after purchasing an additional 520,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in Masco by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,103,820 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,569,000 after purchasing an additional 185,286 shares in the last quarter. 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.