Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Sells 187 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,094 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 187 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 67.7% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,797 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,124,000 after acquiring an additional 5,976 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 38.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 121,299 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,410,000 after purchasing an additional 33,472 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department raised its stake in PulteGroup by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 39,589 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,682,000 after purchasing an additional 11,269 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 130,257 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,696,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its stake in PulteGroup by 929.2% in the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 20,574 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,240,000 after purchasing an additional 18,575 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PHM shares. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PulteGroup presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Price Performance

PHM stock opened at $106.15 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $21.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $109.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. Equities research analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

About PulteGroup

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.