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

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.47.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on PulteGroup from $126.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. UBS Group downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $93.00 to $120.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $91.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th.

PulteGroup Trading Up 4.6 %

NYSE PHM opened at $112.76 on Friday. PulteGroup has a 52 week low of $62.35 and a 52 week high of $121.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.56.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.07. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.20% and a return on equity of 25.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.63 EPS. PulteGroup’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.81%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 6.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 2,000 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.09, for a total transaction of $206,180.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 15,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,586,452.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in PulteGroup in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 335.6% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 379 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3,463.6% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 392 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.