Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 189,312 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,201 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $20,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter worth $29,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter worth $43,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PulteGroup stock opened at $106.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.32. PulteGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $100.54 and a one year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. Research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.