Jackson Hill Advisors LLC Buys 59,500 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Jackson Hill Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 59.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 160,000 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,500 shares during the period. PulteGroup comprises approximately 8.8% of Jackson Hill Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Jackson Hill Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of PulteGroup worth $17,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in PulteGroup by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 642.2% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $103.04 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $100.35 and a one year high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.00, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. Sell-side analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 in the last quarter. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their target price on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

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.