Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 30,637 Shares of Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly reduced its stake in Century Communities, Inc. by 90.4%, holding only 3,263 shares after selling 30,637 shares in the first quarter.
• Century Communities reported a better-than-expected earnings per share of $1.37 for the last quarter, exceeding estimates by $0.21 despite a year-over-year revenue decline of 1.7%.
• Research analysts have mixed views on the stock with one rating it as a sell, while others hold ratings of hold and buy, resulting in an average price target of $85.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS - Free Report) by 90.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,263 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 30,637 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Century Communities were worth $219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Century Communities by 60.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,579 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in Century Communities during the 1st quarter worth $423,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Century Communities by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 135,730 shares of the construction company's stock worth $9,107,000 after buying an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Century Communities during the 1st quarter worth $982,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Century Communities by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 50,098 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,364,000 after buying an additional 3,036 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CCS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Century Communities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Century Communities in a research note on Monday, June 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of Century Communities from $93.00 to $88.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

Century Communities Trading Up 5.6%

NYSE CCS traded up $3.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 114,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 434,521. Century Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.42 and a 52-week high of $108.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $57.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.12 and a beta of 1.41.

Century Communities (NYSE:CCS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $910.70 million. Century Communities had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Century Communities, Inc. will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, construction, marketing, and sale of single-family attached and detached homes. It is also involved in the entitlement and development of the underlying land; and provision of mortgage, title, and insurance services to its homebuyers.