Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts assign Century Communities an average rating of Hold from six brokerages (1 sell, 3 hold, 2 buy) with a one-year average price target of $68.33.
• The company beat EPS estimates ($0.88 vs. $0.61) for the quarter but revenue fell 16.9% year-over-year to $789.7 million, missing the consensus of $961.1 million.
• Century raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 (annualized $1.28, ~2.1% yield), while Chairman Dale Francescon sold 100,100 shares (~$7.25M), cutting his ownership by about 15.13%.

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $68.3333.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CCS. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Century Communities in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Century Communities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Century Communities from $56.00 to $49.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Century Communities in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Century Communities from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th.

Century Communities Price Performance

CCS stock opened at $59.72 on Monday. Century Communities has a 1 year low of $50.42 and a 1 year high of $76.00. The company has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 1.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.58 and a 200 day moving average of $62.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Century Communities (NYSE:CCS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.27. Century Communities had a net margin of 3.31% and a return on equity of 6.24%. The company had revenue of $789.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Century Communities's revenue was down 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Century Communities will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Century Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Century Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Century Communities's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Century Communities news, Chairman Dale Francescon sold 100,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $7,251,244.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 561,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,686,795.28. This represents a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 13.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Communities

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CCS. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Century Communities by 207.6% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 609 shares of the construction company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Century Communities by 175.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 730 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Century Communities in the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Century Communities by 1,513.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,210 shares of the construction company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Century Communities by 37.3% in the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,644 shares of the construction company's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.54% of the company's stock.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc is a national homebuilder and land developer headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company is engaged in the acquisition, development, construction and sale of single- and multi-family residential homes, offering a range of floor plans and design options to homebuyers. In addition to its core homebuilding activities, Century Communities provides ancillary services such as mortgage financing, title and closing services, and insurance products through its wholly owned subsidiaries, aiming to deliver a comprehensive homebuying experience.

Founded in 2009, Century Communities rapidly expanded through both organic growth and strategic land acquisitions, positioning itself in high-growth markets across the United States.

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