Analysts Set PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Target Price at $145.00

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $145.00.

PHM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. UBS Group boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of PulteGroup from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $168.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PulteGroup

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 5.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,647,364,000 after acquiring an additional 585,735 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 5,336 shares of the construction company's stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 837.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 173,727 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $24,935,000 after purchasing an additional 155,204 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter worth $732,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in PulteGroup by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,515 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,366,000 after buying an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE PHM traded down $1.26 on Friday, reaching $135.27. 1,072,655 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,826,173. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $86.59 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.74 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.20 and a 200 day moving average of $126.52.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.30% and a net margin of 16.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.90 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. This is an increase from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.90%.

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.