Ara K. Hovnanian Sells 13,552 Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) Stock

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) CEO Ara K. Hovnanian sold 13,552 shares of Hovnanian Enterprises stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.14, for a total transaction of $2,915,577.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,171,604.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hovnanian Enterprises Stock Performance

NYSE:HOV opened at $223.55 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.22 and a twelve month high of $240.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.49 and a beta of 2.64.

Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE:HOV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The construction company reported $9.75 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $722.70 million during the quarter. Hovnanian Enterprises had a return on equity of 52.22% and a net margin of 8.41%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.38 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. will post 30 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hovnanian Enterprises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOV. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Hovnanian Enterprises by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 791 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 6,917 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after buying an additional 2,314 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 181,338 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,221,000 after buying an additional 1,433 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $414,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Hovnanian Enterprises in the fourth quarter valued at $1,460,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HOV. StockNews.com cut Hovnanian Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Zelman & Associates raised Hovnanian Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd.

About Hovnanian Enterprises

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, markets, and sells residential homes in the United States. It offers single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill, and active lifestyle homes with amenities, such as clubhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts, tot lots, and open areas.