Evercore ISI Cuts Masco (NYSE:MAS) Price Target to $70.00

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price target trimmed by Evercore ISI from $75.00 to $70.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an in-line rating on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on MAS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Masco from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Masco from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Zacks Research cut Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Baird R W cut Masco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.07.

Masco Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $64.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.53, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.18. Masco has a 1-year low of $56.55 and a 1-year high of $83.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.14.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 1,317.38% and a net margin of 10.89%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-3.95 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.79%.

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total transaction of $181,401.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This trade represents a 16.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $6,304,476.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,014,073.52. This trade represents a 67.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $122,990,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the first quarter valued at approximately $126,057,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Masco by 6.6% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,872,772 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,858,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780,673 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,001,386 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $321,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635,746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthquest Corp purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $111,722,000. 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.