Virtu Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 10,651 PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,651 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,160,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PHM. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 41.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its position in 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. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. 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 the business's 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 directly owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PHM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE PHM traded down $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $105.12. 1,143,369 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,877,563. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.35 and a 1-year 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $108.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.71. The company has a market cap of $21.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. As a group, analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

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.