Board of the Pension Protection Fund Invests $348,000 in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,200 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at $29,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 1,059.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 313 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in PulteGroup by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PHM stock opened at $112.30 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.93. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.24 and a 12 month high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The firm had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.90 earnings per share. PulteGroup’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is 6.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (down previously from $150.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.21.

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.