First Trust Advisors LP Has $116 Million Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 45.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,065,190 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 333,361 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.52% of PulteGroup worth $115,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in PHM. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised 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 period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC grew 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 valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its position in PulteGroup by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,224 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,440,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in PulteGroup by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the construction company's stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,050 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM stock traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $101.98. 1,861,192 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,996,525. The stock's 50-day moving average is $101.44 and its 200-day moving average is $115.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The stock has a market cap of $20.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.21%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on PHM shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup cut their price target on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.