D Orazio & Associates Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

D Orazio & Associates Inc. cut its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,818 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 252 shares during the quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in PulteGroup by 111.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 22,159 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 11,682 shares during the last quarter. NatWest Group plc grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. NatWest Group plc now owns 62,547 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,811,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd now owns 113,497 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,360,000 after acquiring an additional 13,203 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth $2,257,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $85,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Down 3.8 %

PHM stock opened at $105.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.24 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced 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 return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. Equities analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PHM shares. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

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.