Optas LLC Buys Shares of 3,110 PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Optas LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,110 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $320,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in PulteGroup by 43.0% during the fourth 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. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the first quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the first quarter worth approximately $61,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PHM shares. Evercore ISI upped 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. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Up 0.4%

PHM traded up $0.38 during trading on Thursday, reaching $99.10. 1,913,334 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,018,417. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $100.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. PulteGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $88.07 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The stock has a market cap of $19.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.29.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 22.86% and a net margin of 16.45%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.21%.

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.