World Investment Advisors Buys 2,532 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 26.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,047 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,532 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth approximately $427,562,000. Amundi increased its stake in PulteGroup by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $180,775,000 after acquiring an additional 716,716 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,300,034,000 after acquiring an additional 683,592 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3,118.4% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 376,717 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,070,000 after purchasing an additional 365,012 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 2,732.3% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 221,172 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,745,000 after buying an additional 213,363 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade 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 in the last 90 days. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.64.

PulteGroup Trading Down 4.9 %

PulteGroup stock traded down $4.74 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $92.44. 603,154 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,977,157. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $104.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.56. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.71 billion, a PE ratio of 6.27, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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%. Research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors 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 purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.98%.

PulteGroup 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.