CENTRAL TRUST Co Decreases Stock Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

CENTRAL TRUST Co trimmed its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 53.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,238 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,903 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 20.5% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 15,388 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares during the period. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 41,305 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,246,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in PulteGroup by 1,311.3% in the 1st quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 312,723 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $32,148,000 after buying an additional 290,564 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in PulteGroup by 103,800.0% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,195 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Finally, Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in PulteGroup by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 42,241 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,600,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PulteGroup stock traded up $2.42 on Friday, hitting $101.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,041,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,022,363. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.07 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $100.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.89. The company has a market capitalization of $20.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.29.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.69.

About PulteGroup

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.