PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Position Increased by United Community Bank

United Community Bank raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,749 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the quarter. United Community Bank’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Logan Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 67.7% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,797 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,124,000 after buying an additional 5,976 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 38.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 121,299 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,410,000 after buying an additional 33,472 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 39.8% during the third quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 39,589 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,682,000 after buying an additional 11,269 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.9% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 130,257 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,696,000 after buying an additional 4,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in PulteGroup by 929.2% during the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 20,574 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,240,000 after buying an additional 18,575 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. This represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.2 %

PHM stock opened at $108.06 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.54 and a 12-month high of $149.47. 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 company has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.35, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.09.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.