Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.180-1.460 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 1.520. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Meritage Homes Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE:MTH traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $69.92. 1,706,209 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,018,526. The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.43. Meritage Homes has a one year low of $58.03 and a one year high of $84.74. The company has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.50.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.73). Meritage Homes had a net margin of 7.73% and a return on equity of 9.28%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Meritage Homes’s revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Meritage Homes will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Meritage Homes Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Meritage Homes’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Meritage Homes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MTH. Zacks Research raised Meritage Homes from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Meritage Homes from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Meritage Homes in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial set a $80.00 target price on Meritage Homes and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Meritage Homes in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Javier Feliciano sold 3,580 shares of Meritage Homes stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.24, for a total value of $272,939.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,425,844.40. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 32,820 shares of Meritage Homes stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.49, for a total value of $2,510,401.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,917,154.61. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 47,622 shares of company stock valued at $3,640,273. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meritage Homes News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Meritage Homes this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company balance-sheet and some analyst support: Meritage still reports a sizable cash balance and relatively low leverage vs. peers, which can cushion operations through a weaker housing cycle; several brokers still have targets above the current price. QuiverQuant Q1 recap
• Neutral Sentiment: Official Q1 release, conference call and transcript available — investors can review management’s commentary and the slide deck for forward commentary and any updated guidance (important for near-term outlook). GlobeNewswire press release
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 revenue and EPS missed expectations and showed sharp YoY declines — revenue fell about 17–18% YoY and EPS declined roughly 50%+ vs. year-ago levels; gross profit, operating profit and net income also dropped materially, which pressured near-term profitability and investor sentiment. QuiverQuant Q1 recap
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction includes at least one price-target cut (Bank of America lowered its target to $72), reflecting more cautious near-term estimates. That reduces upside in sell-side models and can weigh on sentiment. American Banking News: BofA PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional selling noted in recent reports — multiple insiders sold shares and several large institutional holders trimmed positions in Q4, which can be interpreted as a negative signal by some investors. QuiverQuant insider & holdings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Prior-quarter transcripts are available (Q3/Q2 transcripts) for historical context on management’s strategy; useful for longer-term investors but less market-moving than the fresh Q1 print. Q1 2026 earnings transcript

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meritage Homes

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Xponance LLC increased its holdings in Meritage Homes by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 7,868 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Meritage Homes by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,903 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Meritage Homes by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,806 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Meritage Homes by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in Meritage Homes by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,054 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,829,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.44% of the company’s stock.

About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes Corporation is a national homebuilder and residential developer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1985 as Winchester Homes and later rebranded to Meritage Homes, the company specializes in designing, constructing and selling single‐family detached and attached homes. With a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, Meritage Homes markets its properties under the GreenSmart program, which integrates high‐performance features aimed at reducing long‐term energy and water consumption for homebuyers.

The company’s core activities encompass land acquisition, residential community planning, home design, construction management and real estate sales.