Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. cut its holdings in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV - Free Report) by 71.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,115 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,226 shares during the period. AXA S.A.'s holdings in Hovnanian Enterprises were worth $283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Hovnanian Enterprises by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,502 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,223,000 after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its holdings in Hovnanian Enterprises by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 3,716 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,996 shares of the construction company's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 180,913 shares of the construction company's stock worth $24,210,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,772,000. 65.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HOV. Zelman & Associates restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Hovnanian Enterprises in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered Hovnanian Enterprises from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Hovnanian Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HOV traded up $5.24 on Tuesday, reaching $113.25. 54,026 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 80,806. The company has a fifty day moving average of $101.01 and a 200-day moving average of $131.04. The company has a market capitalization of $671.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 2.28. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.15 and a twelve month high of $240.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE:HOV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The construction company reported $3.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.87. The company had revenue of $673.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $705.80 million. Hovnanian Enterprises had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 43.47%.

About Hovnanian Enterprises

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, markets, and sells residential homes in the United States. It offers single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill, and active lifestyle homes with amenities, such as clubhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts, tot lots, and open areas.