Heartland Advisors Inc. Acquires 84,262 Shares of Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS)

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Century Communities, Inc. by 53.3%, now owning 242,261 shares valued at approximately $16.26 million as of latest reports.
• In the first quarter, other institutional investors also significantly boosted their holdings, with Versant Capital increasing its stake by 533.9% and Sterling Capital by 800%.
• Century Communities reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.37 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.16, but experienced a 1.7% decline in revenue year-over-year.

Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS - Free Report) by 53.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 242,261 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 84,262 shares during the period. Century Communities comprises approximately 0.9% of Heartland Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.79% of Century Communities worth $16,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CCS. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Century Communities by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 4,925 shares of the construction company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Century Communities by 533.9% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Century Communities by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,806 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Century Communities by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 7,784 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Century Communities by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 5,612 shares of the construction company's stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.54% of the company's stock.

Century Communities Price Performance

CCS stock traded down $0.79 on Friday, hitting $59.60. 318,886 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 404,126. The stock has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28 and a beta of 1.44. Century Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.42 and a 1-year high of $108.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.22 and a 200-day moving average of $63.25.

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

Century Communities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Century Communities's dividend payout ratio is 14.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Century Communities news, Director Elisa Z. Ramirez bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $53.86 per share, for a total transaction of $80,790.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $456,786.66. This trade represents a 21.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders acquired 2,400 shares of company stock worth $130,426 over the last quarter. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CCS shares. Wedbush cut their price objective 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. B. Riley initiated coverage on Century Communities in a report on Monday, June 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Century Communities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Century Communities has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Century Communities Profile

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.