PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy”: Thirteen of 19 analysts rate PulteGroup a buy, five recommend holding, and one gives a strong-buy rating. The average 12-month price target is $142.20.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: PulteGroup reported earnings of $2.48 per share versus the $2.36 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $3.98 billion. However, revenue declined 9.6% year over year and earnings fell from $3.03 per share a year earlier.
• Shares and dividend: The stock opened at $116.14, down 2.3%, and remains below its 50-day moving average of $127.51. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share, equivalent to a 0.9% annualized yield.

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $142.20.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of PulteGroup from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on PulteGroup from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research set a $129.00 target price on PulteGroup and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 484 shares of the construction company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in PulteGroup by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 7,372 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in PulteGroup by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 2,350 shares of the construction company's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 7,116 shares of the construction company's stock worth $834,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of PulteGroup stock opened at $116.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. PulteGroup has a 1 year low of $108.49 and a 1 year high of $144.49. The firm's 50-day moving average is $127.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.42. The stock has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.19.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. PulteGroup had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is currently 10.62%.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc is a U.S. homebuilding company that designs, constructs and sells homes for a range of buyers, including first-time, move-up and active-adult customers. Its residential offerings include single-family homes, townhomes and communities in a variety of price ranges and styles.

The company operates through several well-known brands, including Pulte, Centex, Del Webb, DiVosta and American West Homes. Its communities are located across numerous metropolitan areas and regions in the United States, with operations spanning markets in the South, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest and West.

PulteGroup also provides mortgage lending and related title services to support home purchases through its financial-services operations.

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