PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $133.14.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PHM. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $129.00 to $117.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $143.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $131.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of PulteGroup from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

PulteGroup Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of PHM stock opened at $139.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $68.80 and a fifty-two week high of $140.77. The company has a market cap of $29.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $125.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.51.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.56. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.67% and a net margin of 16.75%. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.00 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.41%.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.83, for a total value of $9,573,873.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,043,420.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas J. Folliard sold 19,000 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.14, for a total value of $2,491,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,931,462.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.83, for a total transaction of $9,573,873.81. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 89,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,043,420.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 119,000 shares of company stock worth $15,814,039 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $275,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $278,000. Financial Advocates Investment Management bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $291,000. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $243,000. Finally, AMG National Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth $219,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.