Franklin Resources Inc. Decreases Stake in Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL - Free Report) by 23.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 138,319 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 41,704 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.14% of Toll Brothers worth $17,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Toll Brothers in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Toll Brothers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Toll Brothers in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Toll Brothers by 1,034.8% during the fourth quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 261 shares of the construction company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of Toll Brothers by 806.5% in the fourth quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 281 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 91.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Toll Brothers Stock Performance

TOL traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.44. 1,869,655 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,531,117. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 4.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Toll Brothers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $86.67 and a 1-year high of $169.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $109.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.43, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.48.

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Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.24). Toll Brothers had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 14.03%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.91 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Toll Brothers, Inc. will post 13.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Toll Brothers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. This is a positive change from Toll Brothers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. Toll Brothers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn raised Toll Brothers from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Toll Brothers from $156.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Toll Brothers from $101.00 to $92.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Toll Brothers from $189.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Toll Brothers from $164.00 to $132.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Toll Brothers has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $146.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Toll Brothers

In related news, Director Christine Garvey sold 420 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.58, for a total value of $46,443.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $1,458,107.88. This trade represents a 3.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges finance for a range of detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities in the United States. It designs, builds, markets, and sells condominiums through Toll Brothers City Living. The company also develops a range of single-story living and first-floor primary bedroom suite home designs, as well as communities with recreational amenities, such as golf courses, marinas, pool complexes, country clubs, and fitness and recreation centers; and develops, operates, and rents apartments.