Ruffer LLP Acquires New Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 29,132 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $3,173,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3.0% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the construction company's stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company's stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,224 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 2.8% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,598 shares of the construction company's stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.86.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock traded down $2.33 on Wednesday, hitting $103.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,672,525 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,867,126. 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's 50 day moving average is $109.29 and its 200-day moving average is $123.56. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.54 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The company has a market capitalization of $20.96 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

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, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.