Insider Buying: Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Major Shareholder Acquires $426,192.00 in Stock

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $81.96 per share, for a total transaction of $426,192.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 25,383,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,080,418,054.64. This trade represents a 0.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, September 30th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 642,821 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $81.58 per share, with a total value of $52,441,337.18.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 12,389 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $81.93 per share, for a total transaction of $1,015,030.77.
• On Friday, September 25th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 492,124 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $81.12 per share, for a total transaction of $39,921,098.88.
• On Thursday, September 24th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 653,320 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.88 per share, with a total value of $52,840,521.60.
• On Wednesday, September 23rd, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 534,256 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.65 per share, for a total transaction of $43,622,002.40.
• On Monday, September 21st, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 667,118 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.74 per share, for a total transaction of $51,861,753.32.
• On Friday, September 18th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 1,381,397 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $76.48 per share, with a total value of $105,649,242.56.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 695,014 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $78.98 per share, with a total value of $54,892,205.72.

Lennar Stock Down 2.8%

LEN stock opened at $79.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 4.94 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.07. Lennar Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.70 and a 12 month high of $133.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.36.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $8.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.32 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 6.15% and a net margin of 4.09%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Lennar Corporation will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LEN. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in Lennar during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lennar by 1,276.4% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lennar by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,609 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,000 after buying an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lennar in the 2nd quarter worth $317,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lennar by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,873 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the period. 81.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on LEN. Argus set a $108.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Lennar in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Lennar from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Lennar from $85.00 to $69.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Lennar from $107.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and ten have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $79.86.

Key Stories Impacting Lennar

Here are the key news stories impacting Lennar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway continued accumulating shares: Berkshire purchased approximately 660,000 Lennar shares in transactions dated September 28–30, including a roughly $52.4 million purchase. Its stake now exceeds 26 million shares, signaling confidence in Lennar’s long-term valuation despite the housing slowdown. SEC ownership filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity increased: Traders purchased 10,175 put options, about 31% above Lennar’s average daily put volume. The activity suggests heightened demand for downside protection or bearish speculation, but does not by itself confirm the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Short report raises transaction concerns: Hunterbrook alleged Lennar met quarterly targets partly by selling homes to Millrose Properties, its spinoff. Investors may view the allegations as a risk to the quality of reported sales and earnings, increasing scrutiny of Lennar’s accounting and operating relationships. Hunterbrook short report article
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst disagreement turned more bearish: Morgan Stanley issued a sell rating, arguing that housing-market recovery timing and downside risks may not justify Lennar’s valuation. The call contrasts with Berkshire’s purchases and adds pressure to investor sentiment. Morgan Stanley sell-rating article
• Negative Sentiment: Weak recent results remain a backdrop: Lennar’s latest quarterly EPS of $1.23 missed the $1.29 consensus estimate, while revenue of $8.05 billion fell short of expectations and declined 8.7% year over year. The earnings deterioration reinforces concerns about housing demand, margins and profitability.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is a homebuilding company that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and, through its multifamily operations, develops apartment communities. Its residential offerings generally include homes across a range of sizes and prices, serving first-time, move-up and active-adult buyers.

The company also provides related services through businesses involved in mortgage financing, title and closing services, insurance and other real estate activities. Lennar develops residential communities and manages land acquisition, planning and construction as part of its integrated homebuilding model.

Founded in 1954, Lennar has expanded from its origins in South Florida into a national homebuilder serving numerous markets across the United States.