UBS Group Cuts Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $91.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its target price cut by UBS Group from $94.00 to $91.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 1.0 %

Masco stock opened at $78.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. Masco has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.42 and a 200-day moving average of $78.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after purchasing an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,135,000 after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during 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.