Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Purchases 4,046 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 80.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,069 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,046 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:PHM traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $101.76. 1,551,560 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,995,727. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $88.07 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. 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 (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PHM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.69.

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.