World Investment Advisors Acquires 2,532 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,047 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 2,532 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter worth $444,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 10,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in PulteGroup by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,995 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,976,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at about $392,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Trading Up 3.4 %

PHM stock opened at $101.05 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.14 and a 1-year high of $149.47. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $106.12 and its 200-day moving average is $120.07. The firm has a market cap of $20.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced 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 return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. Equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on PHM. Barclays decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.86.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. Corporate insiders own 0.76% 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.