Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stock Position in KB Home $KBH

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group raised its stake in KB Home by 26.2% to 136,526 shares (about 0.21% ownership), valued at roughly $7.7 million, as institutional ownership remains high at 96.09%.
• KB Home's latest quarter showed EPS of $0.52 (in line with estimates) but revenue of $1.08 billion missed expectations and was down 22.6% year‑over‑year; the company recently paid a $0.25 quarterly dividend (1.9% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus "Hold" and an average target of $59.50 after multiple target cuts (Goldman $56, UBS $63), although some firms like Citizens JMP initiated coverage with an outperform and $77 target.

Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in shares of KB Home (NYSE:KBH - Free Report) by 26.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,526 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 28,381 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.21% of KB Home worth $7,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in KB Home by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in KB Home during the fourth quarter valued at $87,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in KB Home by 145.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 1,380 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in KB Home by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 81,669 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,607,000 after buying an additional 12,591 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. lifted its position in KB Home by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 9,627 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 2,005 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on KB Home from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on KB Home from $71.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on KB Home from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Zacks Research lowered KB Home from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on KB Home in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $59.50.

KB Home Price Performance

KBH opened at $51.44 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $57.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a P/E/G ratio of 7.82 and a beta of 1.50. KB Home has a 1 year low of $48.17 and a 1 year high of $68.71.

KB Home (NYSE:KBH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 24th. The construction company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. KB Home had a return on equity of 9.63% and a net margin of 5.96%.KB Home's quarterly revenue was down 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that KB Home will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KB Home Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. KB Home's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.38%.

About KB Home

KB Home is an American homebuilding company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1957, it was among the first homebuilders to go public, offering investors access to one of the nation's largest residential construction platforms. The company is structured to serve a broad spectrum of homebuyers, with a particular focus on first-time, first move-up and active adult segments. As a public company trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol KBH, KB Home draws on decades of experience in land acquisition, construction and community planning.

At its core, KB Home designs and constructs single-family detached and attached homes, townhomes and condominium units.

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