Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 182,105 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,099,377 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 182,105 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.00% of PulteGroup worth $446,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in PulteGroup by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,300,034,000 after purchasing an additional 683,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in PulteGroup by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,120,878 shares of the construction company's stock worth $556,465,000 after buying an additional 64,947 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $427,562,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company's stock worth $180,775,000 after acquiring an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,424,119 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $155,856,000 after purchasing an additional 129,975 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE PHM traded down $1.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $101.73. 494,738 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,991,200. The company has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.44. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.07 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

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

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.21%.

PulteGroup announced that its board 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 repurchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PHM shares. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays decreased 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. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.69.

Insider Activity

In other PulteGroup news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brien P. O'meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.