Citigroup Cuts Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $77.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target trimmed by Citigroup from $82.00 to $77.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective (down previously from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.79.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS opened at $72.42 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $77.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $15.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. Masco has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year 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 for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Iowa State Bank raised its stake in shares of Masco by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 50,751 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,683,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 31,887 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,314,000 after acquiring an additional 6,768 shares during the period. Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in Masco by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 18,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Masco by 21.0% during 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, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Masco by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,732 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 686 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.