Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,598 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 97 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in PulteGroup by 115.1% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in PulteGroup by 54.7% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PulteGroup during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the second quarter valued at $33,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of PulteGroup from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $168.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,043,420.09. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,043,420.09. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Folliard sold 19,000 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.14, for a total transaction of $2,491,660.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 45,230 shares in the company, valued at $5,931,462.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

NYSE PHM opened at $133.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.00 and a 1-year high of $149.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $137.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.86.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The company had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.90 earnings per share. PulteGroup’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.90%.

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.