Argus Has Lowered Expectations for Masco (NYSE:MAS) Stock Price

Masco (NYSE:MAS) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Argus from $82.00 to $80.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Argus’ price target indicates a potential upside of 29.67% from the stock’s previous close.

MAS has been the topic of several other research reports. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Masco from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Masco in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on Masco from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “hold” rating and set a $73.00 price target (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Masco in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.53.

Masco Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE:MAS traded down $1.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $61.70. 396,257 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,162,259. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $70.25 and its 200-day moving average is $67.20. Masco has a 12-month low of $56.55 and a 12-month high of $83.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.53.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 1,317.38%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Masco has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.900-3.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jai Shah sold 82,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total value of $6,304,476.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,638 shares in the company, valued at $3,014,073.52. This trade represents a 67.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Heath M. Eisman sold 2,431 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.62, for a total value of $181,401.22. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,126.32. This trade represents a 16.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company 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. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 2.5% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,007 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $769,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Masco by 6.6% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,311,261 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $212,351,000 after buying an additional 206,311 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Masco during the first quarter worth approximately $3,946,000. Swedbank AB lifted its position in Masco by 43.4% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 155,019 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,977,000 after buying an additional 46,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Masco by 7.2% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,893 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,066,000 after buying an additional 12,686 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.