PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $134.69.

Several research firms recently commented on PHM. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PulteGroup news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PHM. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.7 %

PulteGroup stock opened at $103.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $101.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup has a 52-week low of $88.07 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The firm has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.05, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.21%.

PulteGroup Company Profile

PulteGroup, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, and American West brand names.