Zelman & Associates Upgrades Lennar (NYSE:LEN) to “Outperform”

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) was upgraded by Zelman & Associates from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Lennar from $157.00 to $154.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lennar from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $144.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Argus lifted their price target on Lennar from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Lennar in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.72.

Lennar Stock Performance

Shares of LEN stock opened at $184.26 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $50.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $177.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.30. The company has a current ratio of 4.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lennar has a 12 month low of $102.90 and a 12 month high of $193.80.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 19th. The construction company reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.14 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 15.93% and a net margin of 11.58%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lennar will post 14.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in Lennar by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 4,053 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lennar by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,925 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,056,000 after acquiring an additional 11,851 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Lennar by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,204 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,419,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Lennar by 196.1% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,357 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,096,000 after purchasing an additional 4,872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lennar in the fourth quarter valued at $900,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Company Profile

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.