Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Boosts Stock Position in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) by 28.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,000 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,900 shares during the quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Lennar were worth $1,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lennar by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 183 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the third quarter worth $30,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in shares of Lennar by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 234 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE LEN opened at $122.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.56 billion, a PE ratio of 8.55, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.67. Lennar Co. has a 1 year low of $117.90 and a 1 year high of $193.80. The business’s 50-day moving average is $134.44 and its 200 day moving average is $161.76.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Lennar from $190.00 to $162.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Lennar from $170.00 to $152.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Lennar from $205.00 to $192.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research cut Lennar from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Lennar from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lennar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.88.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company’s homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.