Stephens Inc. AR Sells 22,210 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 85.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,679 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 22,210 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

PulteGroup Price Performance

PulteGroup stock opened at $107.45 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.12. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.24 and a 1 year high of $149.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.86.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PHM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup 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.