PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Acquired by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370,296 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,549 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.18% of PulteGroup worth $40,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,224 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,050 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on PHM shares. StockNews.com lowered PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE PHM opened at $101.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $107.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.31. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.35 and a 52 week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. As a group, research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % 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 worth $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.