PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Bought by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 124,780 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $13,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth about $427,562,000. Amundi increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $180,775,000 after purchasing an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,034,000 after purchasing an additional 683,592 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 118.8% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 783,581 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $85,332,000 after buying an additional 425,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,065,190 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $115,999,000 after buying an additional 333,361 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $104.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.07 and a 12-month high of $149.47. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $101.20 and its 200-day moving average is $113.66.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.10 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 6.21%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Company Profile

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.