Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 10,651 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,160,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in PulteGroup by 6.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 19,524 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,803,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at approximately $788,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in PulteGroup by 6.1% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 36,152 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,189,000 after acquiring an additional 2,067 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in PulteGroup by 29.1% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,660 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $669,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE:PHM opened at $103.04 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $108.54 and a 200 day moving average of $122.16. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.35 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. On average, research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

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

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on PHM. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 in the last three months. 0.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.