AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Decreases Stock Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd cut its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 325,573 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,698 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.16% of PulteGroup worth $35,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 17.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 565 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1.7% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 5,002 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.0% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Up 0.7 %

PHM stock opened at $107.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.24 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.35. The stock has a market cap of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 7.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.43 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business 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 is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

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.