Aprio Wealth Management LLC Sells 131 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Aprio Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,224 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $678,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,647,364,000 after buying an additional 585,735 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 102.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,040,828 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,297,630,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571,757 shares during the last quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 0.3% in the third quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 5,593,179 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $802,789,000 after purchasing an additional 16,871 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 8.6% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,968,788 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $326,864,000 after purchasing an additional 235,826 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 7.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,864,040 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $267,546,000 after purchasing an additional 135,391 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of PHM opened at $107.62 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $122.03 and its 200 day moving average is $126.92. The company has a market capitalization of $22.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.67. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.24 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.30% and a net margin of 16.64%. The company had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is presently 6.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on PHM. Bank of America raised their target price on PulteGroup from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $150.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised PulteGroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $154.00 to $148.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.85.

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.