Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $163.88.

A number of equities analysts have commented on LEN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Lennar from $170.00 to $152.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Lennar from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Lennar from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Lennar from $196.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lennar from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

Lennar Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE LEN traded up $4.24 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $126.27. 3,087,009 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,326,820. The company has a market cap of $33.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $129.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lennar has a one year low of $116.67 and a one year high of $187.61.

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Lennar (NYSE:LEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The firm's revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.82 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lennar will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. Lennar's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lennar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,533,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Lennar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $115,229,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lennar by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,271,319 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $446,110,000 after purchasing an additional 589,553 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Lennar by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,239,488 shares of the construction company's stock worth $441,769,000 after buying an additional 515,378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Lennar by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,250,626 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $308,696,000 after buying an additional 397,492 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company's stock.

About Lennar

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.