American Century Companies Inc. Decreases Stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 291,109 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 36,122 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.14% of PulteGroup worth $31,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in PulteGroup by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 642.2% in the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on PHM. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PHM traded up $0.17 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $103.21. The company had a trading volume of 249,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,944,008. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.58 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $107.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup's payout ratio is 5.98%.

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.