Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Buys 5,050 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 273.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,900 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,050 shares during the quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in PulteGroup by 5.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,647,364,000 after purchasing an additional 585,735 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in PulteGroup by 102.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,297,630,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571,757 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in PulteGroup by 7.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,864,040 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $267,546,000 after acquiring an additional 135,391 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in PulteGroup by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,424,119 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $155,856,000 after acquiring an additional 129,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in PulteGroup by 6.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,025,276 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $147,158,000 after acquiring an additional 60,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 1.0 %

PHM traded down $1.07 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $104.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,082,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,211,599. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $100.24 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $111.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.10, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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 worth $2,256,367 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on PHM. Citigroup decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased 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. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.86.

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.