Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 16,726 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,563 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 16,726 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of PulteGroup worth $16,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PHM. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 642.2% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays cut their price target on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $103.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.69. PulteGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $100.54 and a one year high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $20.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. As a group, research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.