Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Lowers Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P cut its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,144 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 24,840 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned 0.06% of PulteGroup worth $13,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 10,985 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,196,000 after buying an additional 2,485 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 22,618 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,463,000 after purchasing an additional 3,991 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in PulteGroup by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 316,252 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $34,804,000 after buying an additional 8,996 shares during the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $730,000. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,703 shares of the construction company's stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHM has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at PulteGroup

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,961,727. This represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 over the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PHM traded up $0.32 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $103.36. The company had a trading volume of 358,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,944,413. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.58 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.76.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is presently 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.