Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Price

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Citigroup from $82.00 to $77.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the construction company’s stock. Citigroup’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.45% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MAS. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price (down previously from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.79.

Masco Trading Down 2.0 %

MAS opened at $71.66 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. Masco has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $77.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.22.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Masco will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after buying an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 465,033 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,932,000 after buying an additional 48,379 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Masco by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 142,443 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,497,000 after acquiring an additional 18,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 62,323 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,033,000 after acquiring an additional 11,525 shares during the last quarter. 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.