7,981 Shares in PulteGroup, Inc. $PHM Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,981 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $936,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 573,065 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,387,000 after purchasing an additional 13,259 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 312,935 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $41,348,000 after purchasing an additional 61,009 shares during the last quarter. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,625,000. EFG Asset Management Americas Corp. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 351.9% during the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management Americas Corp. now owns 46,752 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,177,000 after purchasing an additional 36,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 166.5% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,753 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 10,467 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on PHM. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $149.00 to $131.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Matthew William Koart sold 7,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $894,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 28,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,000. This trade represents a 20.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lila Snyder sold 3,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.18, for a total transaction of $391,264.02. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $414,817.20. This trade represents a 48.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PulteGroup stock opened at $118.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.20 and a 1-year high of $144.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $119.03 and its 200 day moving average is $124.02.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.01). PulteGroup had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 12.14%.The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 10 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 10.06%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 6.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs.

PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities.