Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Price

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Barclays from $87.00 to $75.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the construction company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 17.54% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Masco Stock Up 8.6 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $63.81 on Tuesday. Masco has a one year low of $57.27 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade 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 currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $129,306,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Masco by 11,690.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 911,669 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $63,397,000 after purchasing an additional 903,937 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Masco by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $33,157,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $30,678,000. 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.