PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Knuff & Co LLC

Knuff & Co LLC reduced its stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,497 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 102.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,297,630,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571,757 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $180,775,000 after acquiring an additional 716,716 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,647,364,000 after acquiring an additional 585,735 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,485,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 357.1% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,917,000 after acquiring an additional 407,764 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % 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 valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

PulteGroup Trading Down 1.4 %

PHM opened at $105.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.70. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.54 and a 1-year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. Analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock 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. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.