Masco (MAS) Competitors

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) and Masco (NYSE:MAS) are both construction companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, media sentiment, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and analyst recommendations.

Is AWI or MAS more profitable?

Armstrong World Industries has a net margin of 18.95% compared to Masco's net margin of 10.51%. Masco's return on equity of 1,519.31% beat Armstrong World Industries' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Armstrong World Industries	18.95%	39.80%	16.79%
Masco	10.51%	1,519.31%	17.10%

Which has higher valuation and earnings, AWI or MAS?

Masco has higher revenue and earnings than Armstrong World Industries. Masco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Armstrong World Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Armstrong World Industries	$1.45B	5.90	$264.90M	$6.76	29.19
Masco	$7.83B	2.02	$822M	$3.77	20.05

Is AWI or MAS a better dividend stock?

Armstrong World Industries pays an annual dividend of $1.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Masco pays an annual dividend of $1.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Armstrong World Industries pays out 18.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Masco pays out 32.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Armstrong World Industries has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Masco has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years. Masco is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media refer more to AWI or MAS?

In the previous week, Masco had 10 more articles in the media than Armstrong World Industries. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for Masco and 14 mentions for Armstrong World Industries. Armstrong World Industries' average media sentiment score of 1.49 beat Masco's score of 1.28 indicating that Armstrong World Industries is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Armstrong World Industries	12 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Masco	19 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer AWI or MAS?

Armstrong World Industries presently has a consensus price target of $177.13, suggesting a potential downside of 10.23%. Masco has a consensus price target of $74.13, suggesting a potential downside of 1.90%. Given Masco's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Masco is more favorable than Armstrong World Industries.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Armstrong World Industries	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Masco	0 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.41

Do insiders and institutionals believe in AWI or MAS?

98.9% of Armstrong World Industries shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.9% of Masco shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Armstrong World Industries shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Masco shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk & volatility, AWI or MAS?

Armstrong World Industries has a beta of 1.43, meaning that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Masco has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Armstrong World Industries and Masco tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.