Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Buys Shares of 2,000 PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,000 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 4,571,757 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 585,735 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,485,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 357.1% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 521,958 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,917,000 after purchasing an additional 407,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1,020.0% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 435,925 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $62,568,000 after purchasing an additional 397,003 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 over the last 90 days. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on PHM shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One investment 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.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Down 2.6 %

PulteGroup stock opened at $103.04 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of 7.00, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.68. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $101.13 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued 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 anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.98%.

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.