Wall Street Zen Downgrades Masco (NYSE:MAS) to Sell

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on MAS. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Masco and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down from $91.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Masco from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

Masco Trading Up 0.9%

Masco stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.76. 1,965,832 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,806,368. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $62.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.01. Masco has a 12 month low of $56.55 and a 12 month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19.

Masco (NYSE:MAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Masco

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 5,050.0% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the construction company's stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 11,337 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 21,497 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 24,565 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 5,001 shares in the last quarter. 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.