Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six 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 $166.06.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research cut shares of Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lennar from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Lennar from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Lennar from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

Lennar Stock Down 2.7 %

LEN stock opened at $121.56 on Thursday. Lennar has a 1-year low of $119.25 and a 1-year high of $193.80. The stock has a market cap of $32.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $139.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.95. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 13.93%. Lennar’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.82 EPS. Analysts expect that Lennar will post 12.52 EPS for the current year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 29th. Lennar’s payout ratio is 13.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lennar in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Lennar by 933.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 155 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lennar during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in Lennar by 4,225.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Lennar in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. 81.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lennar

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company’s homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.