Analysts Set PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) PT at $144.14

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $144.14.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PHM shares. BTIG Research upped their target price on PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PulteGroup stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $117.11. 2,441,237 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,712,113. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $100.24 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The firm's fifty day moving average is $120.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $24.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.67.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.27 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.30% and a net margin of 16.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a positive change from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in PulteGroup by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the construction company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 17.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 565 shares of the construction company's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 1.7% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 5,002 shares of the construction company's stock worth $718,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in PulteGroup by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in PulteGroup by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

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.