PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,951 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 526 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 642.2% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $103.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.54 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $109.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.19. The firm has a market cap of $20.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results 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%. Analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

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.