Natixis Advisors LLC Has $34.24 Million Position in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) by 5.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 182,646 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 9,990 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lennar were worth $34,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Lennar by 933.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 155 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lennar in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in Lennar during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lennar by 4,225.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lennar

In related news, Director Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total value of $3,064,775.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,148,654.57. This trade represents a 42.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lennar Stock Down 0.6 %

Lennar stock opened at $168.85 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 4.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $45.80 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $179.35 and its 200 day moving average is $168.99. Lennar Co. has a 12-month low of $125.17 and a 12-month high of $193.80.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 19th. The construction company reported $3.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.28. Lennar had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 15.47%. The company had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lennar Co. will post 14.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on LEN. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $144.00 price target on shares of Lennar in a report on Friday, September 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Lennar from $164.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lennar from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Lennar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Lennar from $177.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lennar has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $180.56.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company’s homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.