27,211 Shares in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 27,211 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $2,963,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 43.0% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PHM. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PHM traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $98.09. 3,156,068 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,014,456. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The firm has a market cap of $19.66 billion, a PE ratio of 6.67, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $99.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. The company had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.10 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.21%.

PulteGroup Company Profile

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.