AlphaQuest LLC Boosts Stake in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,226 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Lennar were worth $1,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Lennar during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in Lennar by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 183 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lennar during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Lennar during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in Lennar by 136.7% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 232 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Price Performance

NYSE:LEN opened at $125.24 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.73, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69. Lennar Co. has a 1 year low of $116.67 and a 1 year high of $187.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 13.93%. Lennar’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 29th. Lennar’s payout ratio is 13.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Lennar in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. BTIG Research cut Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lennar from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Lennar from $205.00 to $192.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Lennar from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.88.

About Lennar

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.