PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC cut its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,247 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,647,364,000 after purchasing an additional 585,735 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 102.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,297,630,000 after buying an additional 4,571,757 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 7.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,864,040 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $267,546,000 after buying an additional 135,391 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,424,119 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $155,856,000 after acquiring an additional 129,975 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,025,276 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $147,158,000 after acquiring an additional 60,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of PulteGroup stock opened at $105.85 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.89. The stock has a market cap of $21.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.24 and a 1-year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PHM shares. StockNews.com lowered PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of 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 increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup 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.