Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations Takes Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 11,342 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Amundi grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $180,775,000 after purchasing an additional 716,716 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 357.1% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $74,917,000 after purchasing an additional 407,764 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in PulteGroup by 3,118.4% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 376,717 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,070,000 after purchasing an additional 365,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in PulteGroup by 2,732.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 221,172 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,745,000 after purchasing an additional 213,363 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of PHM stock traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $103.31. The stock had a trading volume of 366,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,262,599. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $99.58 and a 12-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 firm's 50-day moving average is $107.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. On average, analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PulteGroup news, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. 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. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.