Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $5.92 Million Position in PulteGroup, Inc. $PHM

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management boosted its PulteGroup stake by 144.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 50,463 shares valued at about $5.92 million.
• Analyst sentiment on PulteGroup is mixed: the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $140.71, though some firms recently lowered ratings or price targets.
• PulteGroup reported Q1 EPS of $1.79, just below expectations, and said it will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.26 on July 2 while also authorizing a $1.5 billion share buyback program.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 144.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,463 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,818 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $5,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PHM. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 20.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,517 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 197.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,212 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 8,519 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $898,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 29,060 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 41,677 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,395,000 after purchasing an additional 6,240 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America cut their target price on PulteGroup from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings cut PulteGroup from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "sell" rating and issued a $100.00 target price (down from $155.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.71.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, EVP Kevin A. Henry sold 5,173 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.03, for a total transaction of $729,548.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,069,333.19. The trade was a 26.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lila Snyder sold 3,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.18, for a total value of $391,264.02. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,540 shares in the company, valued at $414,817.20. This trade represents a 48.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

PulteGroup Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE PHM opened at $116.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $119.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.20 and a 52 week high of $144.49.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.40 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The company's revenue was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is 10.06%.

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Company Profile

PulteGroup, Inc NYSE: PHM is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs.

PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities.

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