34,145 Shares in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Bought by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 34,145 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,718,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $356,000. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 32,496 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,539,000 after purchasing an additional 4,193 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 27.6% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $233,000. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PHM shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:PHM opened at $103.53 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $20.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.04, a PEG 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 current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $108.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.69.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.