Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Price

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $95.00 to $94.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the construction company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price points to a potential upside of 17.63% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MAS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Masco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.85.

Masco Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $79.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $81.56 and a 200 day moving average of $74.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a 52 week low of $51.72 and a 52 week high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.18.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 602.39%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Masco news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.32, for a total transaction of $2,961,592.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 36,980 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new stake in Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at $297,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Masco by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 263,155 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $22,089,000 after purchasing an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust raised its position in Masco by 125.4% in the 3rd quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 11,778 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 6,553 shares during the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its position in Masco by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 19,584 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crescent Grove Advisors LLC raised its position in Masco by 57.4% in the 3rd quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 8,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.