PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Receives $140.86 Average PT from Brokerages

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.86.

Several analysts have commented on PHM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,300,034,000 after acquiring an additional 683,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,120,878 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $556,465,000 after purchasing an additional 64,947 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $427,562,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,425,941 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $264,185,000 after buying an additional 315,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,033,776 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $221,478,000 after buying an additional 169,736 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Price Performance

PHM opened at $101.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.46 billion, a PE ratio of 6.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $106.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.92. PulteGroup has a 52-week low of $95.14 and a 52-week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. On average, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About PulteGroup

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.