Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Increases Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 79.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,389 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,572 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $2,918,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 20.5% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 15,388 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,613 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1,311.3% during the first quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 312,723 shares of the construction company's stock worth $32,148,000 after buying an additional 290,564 shares during the period. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 8.6% during the first quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 41,305 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,246,000 after buying an additional 3,266 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 103,800.0% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,195 shares of the construction company's stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 15.9% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 909 shares of the construction company's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PHM shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.08.

PulteGroup Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of PulteGroup stock traded up $1.96 on Thursday, reaching $115.73. The company had a trading volume of 718,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,154,413. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.07 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $103.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.77. The firm has a market cap of $23.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's payout ratio is currently 6.21%.

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.