20,728 Shares in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Acquired by Lecap Asset Management Ltd.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 20,728 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,257,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in PulteGroup by 115.1% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $109.89 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.24 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.14. The stock has a market cap of $22.54 billion, a PE ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.68.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its quarterly 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is presently 5.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Company 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.