PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $150.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on PulteGroup from $136.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings cut PulteGroup from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $115.00 price target on PulteGroup in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.46.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PulteGroup stock opened at $133.65 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $142.11. The company has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.33.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The construction company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 19.58% and a net margin of 14.93%.The firm had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 281.7% during the 3rd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Company Profile

PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs.

PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities.