Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,432 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 129 shares during the quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 67.7% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,797 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,124,000 after acquiring an additional 5,976 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 38.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 121,299 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,410,000 after purchasing an additional 33,472 shares during the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department raised its position in PulteGroup by 39.8% in the third quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 39,589 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,682,000 after purchasing an additional 11,269 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its stake in PulteGroup by 3.9% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 130,257 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,696,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 929.2% during the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 20,574 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,240,000 after buying an additional 18,575 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Up 2.3 %

PHM stock opened at $108.44 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $109.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.21. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $100.54 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.37, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last quarter. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.