PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division trimmed its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 26.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,035 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 744 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,034,000 after buying an additional 683,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,120,878 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $556,465,000 after acquiring an additional 64,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $427,562,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,425,941 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $264,185,000 after purchasing an additional 315,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,033,776 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $221,478,000 after purchasing an additional 169,736 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PHM shares. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $98.09 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.81. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.07 and a 1 year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. The company had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.21%.

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.