Metis Global Partners LLC Reduces Position in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Metis Global Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,927 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,067 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Lennar were worth $1,629,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lennar in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lennar in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lennar during the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LEN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Lennar from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Wedbush restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $144.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Lennar from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Lennar from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.88.

Lennar Trading Down 0.9 %

Lennar stock opened at $159.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 5.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $160.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.69. Lennar Co. has a 12 month low of $102.90 and a 12 month high of $172.59.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The construction company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.36. Lennar had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 11.59%. The business had revenue of $7.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. Lennar’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lennar Co. will post 14.46 EPS for the current year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lennar’s payout ratio is presently 14.02%.

Insider Activity at Lennar

In related news, Director Amy Banse purchased 1,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $157.00 per share, with a total value of $247,275.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 11,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,861,863. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.