Ara K. Hovnanian Sells 24,686 Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) Stock

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) CEO Ara K. Hovnanian sold 24,686 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.04, for a total value of $3,481,713.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,890 shares in the company, valued at $4,638,805.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Hovnanian Enterprises Price Performance

NYSE:HOV traded up $1.71 on Friday, reaching $141.70. 141,998 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 80,902. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.38. The firm has a market cap of $848.78 million, a PE ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 2.45. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.22 and a 12 month high of $184.42.

Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE:HOV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The construction company reported $6.66 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $708.38 million for the quarter. Hovnanian Enterprises had a return on equity of 54.85% and a net margin of 8.02%. Equities research analysts forecast that Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. will post 27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Hovnanian Enterprises by 6.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 280,435 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $44,011,000 after acquiring an additional 16,012 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Hovnanian Enterprises by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 181,338 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,433 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Hovnanian Enterprises by 25.5% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 81,645 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,300,000 after acquiring an additional 16,575 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Hovnanian Enterprises by 26.9% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 79,625 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,095,000 after acquiring an additional 16,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 66,182 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,299,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HOV shares. Zelman & Associates upgraded Hovnanian Enterprises from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com raised Hovnanian Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd.

Hovnanian Enterprises Company Profile

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, markets, and sells residential homes in the United States. It offers single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill, and active lifestyle homes with amenities, such as clubhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts, tot lots, and open areas.