Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Sells 14,125 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC reduced its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 15.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,762 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 14,125 shares during the quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $10,731,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 54.7% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 232 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 115.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. bought a new stake in PulteGroup in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE PHM traded down $1.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $126.82. 1,698,015 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,437,724. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.49 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.91. The firm has a market cap of $26.01 billion, a PE ratio of 9.35, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.62.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.27 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The business's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on PHM. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research lowered PulteGroup from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $145.00.

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.