PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Stock Position Decreased by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB lessened its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 564,197 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,077 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned about 0.28% of PulteGroup worth $61,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 102.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased 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 during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the third quarter valued at about $66,485,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 357.1% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company's stock worth $74,917,000 after buying an additional 407,764 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in PulteGroup by 1,020.0% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 435,925 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $62,568,000 after acquiring an additional 397,003 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on PHM shares. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $168.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $142.29.

PulteGroup Trading Up 6.2 %

Shares of PHM stock traded up $6.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $119.98. 1,599,550 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,082,552. The stock has a market cap of $24.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.24 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.48.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. Equities analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is an increase from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.49%.

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.