PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Purchased by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank boosted its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 142,740 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,243 shares during the period. Eastern Bank owned 0.07% of PulteGroup worth $15,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,050 shares of the construction company's stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in PulteGroup by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,381 shares of the construction company's stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $450,000. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,466 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 1,876.5% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Trading Up 1.2 %

PHM stock traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $108.94. 1,568,873 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,825,507. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.24 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $121.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $126.91. The company has a market capitalization of $22.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.03, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.67.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The business had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.90 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of PulteGroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $154.00 to $148.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down from $150.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on PulteGroup from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $146.85.

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.