4,767 Shares in PulteGroup, Inc. $PHM Purchased by Petrus Trust Company LTA

Key Points

• Petrus Trust Company LTA has acquired a new stake in PulteGroup, Inc. worth approximately $490,000 by purchasing 4,767 shares during the first quarter.
• Several large investors have also increased their holdings in PulteGroup, with notable changes including a 14.3% increase by Deutsche Bank AG and a 19.5% increase by Fiduciary Trust Co.
• PulteGroup's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $3.03, surpassing expectations, despite a 4.3% decline in revenue year-over-year.

Petrus Trust Company LTA purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,767 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $490,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PHM. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the first quarter valued at $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the first quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 43.8% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 571 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PHM traded down $1.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $137.05. The company had a trading volume of 465,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,148,668. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $122.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $109.04. The company has a market cap of $27.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.27. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.07 and a 1 year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 15.50%.The business had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.83 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on PulteGroup from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on PulteGroup from $128.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $136.46.

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.