Masco (NYSE:MAS) Given New $83.50 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $80.00 to $83.50 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the construction company’s stock.

MAS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Masco from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.96.

Masco Stock Performance

Masco stock opened at $80.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $81.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.83. The company has a market capitalization of $17.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.24. Masco has a 12-month low of $55.13 and a 12-month high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kenneth G. Cole sold 37,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,273.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Masco

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Masco by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 3.6% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 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.