Deutsche Bank AG Increases Stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,859,029 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 232,939 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.91% of PulteGroup worth $202,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nilsine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 929.2% during the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 20,574 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,240,000 after acquiring an additional 18,575 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,559 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $496,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Argyle Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 42,241 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,600,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the period. Eastern Bank grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 142,740 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $15,544,000 after acquiring an additional 6,243 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 416.0% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 12,775 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 10,299 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business'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 transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Trading Down 4.0%

Shares of PHM stock traded down $4.24 on Wednesday, hitting $102.21. 2,237,420 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,002,157. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $101.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.49 billion, a PE ratio of 6.95, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.10 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PHM. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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 report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.69.

PulteGroup Company Profile

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.