PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $144.14.

PHM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $117.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $24.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $120.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.01. PulteGroup has a one year low of $100.24 and a one year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The firm had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.90 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.49%.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter worth about $29,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in PulteGroup by 1,059.3% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 313 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

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.