PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 291,109 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 36,122 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.14% of PulteGroup worth $31,702,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 19,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,117,000 after purchasing an additional 5,980 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $1,160,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,114,000. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,219,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at PulteGroup

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. This represents a 16.89 % 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 over the last quarter. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays dropped their target price 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. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PulteGroup stock opened at $101.76 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.35 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.39.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 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 analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. 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.