Barclays Cuts Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $75.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target lowered by equities researchers at Barclays from $87.00 to $75.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the construction company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.54% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MAS. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Ten 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.50.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $63.81 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a 52 week low of $57.27 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.78.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total value of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAS. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Masco by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 901 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 8,089 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,165 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

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.