PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $133.6667.

PHM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $154.00 to $134.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on PulteGroup from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $132.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $118.21 on Friday. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $88.07 and a fifty-two week high of $142.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.10, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.92.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The construction company reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 19.58%. PulteGroup’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.35 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 16th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 6.77%.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PHM. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 281.7% in the third quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 33.3% in the second quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.