PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,099,377 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 182,105 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.00% of PulteGroup worth $446,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in PulteGroup by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 3.8% during 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 during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,224 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,440,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its position in PulteGroup by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the construction company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in PulteGroup by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,050 shares of the construction company's stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PulteGroup Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:PHM traded up $1.82 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $102.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,940,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,345,322. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.07 and a 1 year high of $149.47. The company has a market cap of $20.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $101.54 and a 200 day moving average of $115.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

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

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on PHM shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.