Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 11,924 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,299,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. FMR LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,297,630,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571,757 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 5.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,647,364,000 after acquiring an additional 585,735 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at about $66,485,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 357.1% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,917,000 after acquiring an additional 407,764 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 1,020.0% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 435,925 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $62,568,000 after acquiring an additional 397,003 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PulteGroup news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BTIG Research raised their price target on PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn cut PulteGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Trading Up 0.7 %

PHM traded up $0.75 on Friday, hitting $107.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,519,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,269,826. The company has a market cap of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 7.30, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.24 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $113.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.35.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. Equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.43 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are 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 given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

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.