Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Has $438,000 Stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,054 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of PHM. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 54.7% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 232 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 115.1% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the second quarter worth about $31,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PulteGroup Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:PHM opened at $129.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $26.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.63. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $86.59 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $137.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The business had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.90%.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, Director Thomas J. Folliard sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.14, for a total value of $2,491,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,931,462.20. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.83, for a total value of $9,573,873.81. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,043,420.09. This trade represents a 44.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on PulteGroup from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.00.

PulteGroup 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.