Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Hits New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $117.50 and last traded at $117.85, with a volume of 1531752 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $119.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Lennar in a report on Thursday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Lennar from $190.00 to $162.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group lowered their target price on Lennar from $205.00 to $192.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Lennar from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Lennar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.88.

Lennar Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $129.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.11.

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

Lennar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Lennar's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennar

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Lennar by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 6,116,558 shares of the construction company's stock worth $834,115,000 after buying an additional 213,003 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Lennar by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,903,555 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,106,798,000 after purchasing an additional 73,638 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 589,553 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Smead Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Lennar by 3.5% during the third quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,666,905 shares of the construction company's stock worth $499,991,000 after acquiring an additional 89,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.10% of the company's stock.

Lennar Company Profile

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.