Captrust Financial Advisors Buys 39,274 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 996,970 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,274 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors owned 0.49% of PulteGroup worth $108,570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PHM traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,157,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,998,551. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. The company's 50-day moving average price is $101.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.09. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $88.07 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.21%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other PulteGroup news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. Corporate 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.