PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Stock Holdings Reduced by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lessened its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 34.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 343,839 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 178,119 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.17% of PulteGroup worth $37,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Ruffer LLP bought a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $3,173,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 16,748 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,824,000 after purchasing an additional 6,992 shares during the period. United Community Bank raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 5,749 shares of the construction company's stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company's stock worth $180,775,000 after buying an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Naviter Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $483,000. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.86.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE:PHM traded down $1.77 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $101.76. 410,574 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,861,532. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.54 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $109.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.56.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has initiated 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 buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.