Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 102,492 Shares of Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS - Free Report) by 20.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 388,266 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 102,492 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.25% of Century Communities worth $28,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Century Communities by 336.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 738 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Century Communities by 44.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,313 shares of the construction company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Century Communities during the 4th quarter valued at $142,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Century Communities by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the construction company's stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Century Communities in the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. 99.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $93.00 target price (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Century Communities in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Century Communities from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $110.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Century Communities to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.00.

Century Communities Stock Down 5.1 %

Shares of NYSE:CCS traded down $3.10 during trading on Thursday, hitting $58.21. 41,526 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 348,409. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $69.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.43. Century Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $55.85 and a fifty-two week high of $108.42. The stock has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Century Communities (NYSE:CCS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.33. Century Communities had a net margin of 7.59% and a return on equity of 14.17%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Century Communities, Inc. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Century Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This is a positive change from Century Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Century Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.15%.

Century Communities Profile

Century Communities, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, construction, marketing, and sale of single-family attached and detached homes. It is also involved in the entitlement and development of the underlying land; and provision of mortgage, title, and insurance services to its homebuyers.