Oxford Asset Management LLP Invests $463,000 in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,256 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in PulteGroup by 43.0% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 41.9% during the 4th 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 period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of PulteGroup stock opened at $101.98 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.07 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.65 billion, a PE ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $101.37 and its 200-day moving average is $114.81.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.10 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.21%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PHM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer reduced 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PulteGroup presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

About PulteGroup

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.