Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $175.94.

LEN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research cut shares of Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. JMP Securities increased their price target on Lennar from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank Of America (Bofa) lifted their price objective on Lennar from $171.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 28th.

Lennar Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of LEN opened at $138.08 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 4.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $168.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.51. The stock has a market cap of $37.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.61. Lennar has a 12 month low of $135.21 and a 12 month high of $193.80.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 15.47%. Lennar’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.82 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Lennar will post 14.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Lennar’s payout ratio is 13.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sold 17,500 shares of Lennar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total transaction of $3,064,775.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,148,654.57. This trade represents a 42.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 9.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEN. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in Lennar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,543,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in Lennar by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 47,348 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,877,000 after acquiring an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Lennar during the 3rd quarter worth about $241,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lennar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $251,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 9.4% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,049 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,071,000 after purchasing an additional 3,712 shares in the last quarter. 81.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Lennar

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company’s homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.