PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.86.

A number of brokerages have commented on PHM. Bank of America lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in PulteGroup by 67.7% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,797 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,124,000 after purchasing an additional 5,976 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 38.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 121,299 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,410,000 after acquiring an additional 33,472 shares during the period. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 39,589 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,682,000 after buying an additional 11,269 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its position in PulteGroup by 3.9% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 130,257 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $18,696,000 after buying an additional 4,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 929.2% during the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 20,574 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,240,000 after purchasing an additional 18,575 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of PulteGroup stock traded down $2.63 during trading on Monday, hitting $100.90. 2,211,820 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,868,499. The firm has a market cap of $20.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. PulteGroup has a 52-week low of $100.54 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $109.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.56.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. On average, equities analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About PulteGroup

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.