BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Buys 9,186 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 278.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,484 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,186 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PHM. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 642.2% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PHM. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.69.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

PulteGroup Price Performance

PHM stock traded down $0.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.98. 1,861,826 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,996,952. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $20.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $101.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.98.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. The company had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.21%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.