PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. reduced its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 28,126 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $3,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PHM. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,297,630,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571,757 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $180,775,000 after acquiring an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,647,364,000 after acquiring an additional 585,735 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,485,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 357.1% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,917,000 after acquiring an additional 407,764 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PHM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PHM opened at $105.33 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.33 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The company’s 50 day moving average is $108.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $21.32 billion, a PE ratio of 7.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

About PulteGroup

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.