Ruffer LLP Acquires 16,884 Shares of Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE:TOL)

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP increased its holdings in Toll Brothers Inc. by 73.8% during the 1st quarter, now owning 39,769 shares valued at approximately $4,199,000.
• Brokerages have varying predictions for Toll Brothers' stock, with some lowering price targets, while others like Evercore ISI maintain an "outperform" rating and set a new target of $169.00.
• Toll Brothers reported a net margin of 12.95% and earnings per share of $3.50 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and indicating a strong financial performance despite revenue being down 3.5% year-over-year.

Ruffer LLP raised its holdings in shares of Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE:TOL - Free Report) by 73.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,769 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,884 shares during the quarter. Ruffer LLP's holdings in Toll Brothers were worth $4,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Toll Brothers by 0.5% during the first quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,624 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,706,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Toll Brothers during the 1st quarter worth $317,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Toll Brothers in the 1st quarter worth about $649,000. Financial Security Advisor Inc. bought a new stake in Toll Brothers in the 1st quarter valued at about $231,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Toll Brothers during the first quarter valued at about $227,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $169.00 price target (up previously from $167.00) on shares of Toll Brothers in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Toll Brothers from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Toll Brothers in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Toll Brothers in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Toll Brothers from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $142.23.

Insider Transactions at Toll Brothers

In related news, Director Stephen F. East sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.33, for a total value of $288,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,474,724.71. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Michael J. Grubb sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $60,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,439 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,680. The trade was a 17.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,770 shares of company stock worth $440,586. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Toll Brothers Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Toll Brothers stock traded up $3.23 on Monday, hitting $125.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,002,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,649,901. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Toll Brothers Inc. has a one year low of $86.67 and a one year high of $169.52. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $113.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $111.81. The stock has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.28, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.33.

Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Toll Brothers had a net margin of 12.95% and a return on equity of 17.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Toll Brothers Inc. will post 13.83 EPS for the current year.

Toll Brothers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 11th. Toll Brothers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.42%.

About Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges finance for a range of detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities in the United States. It designs, builds, markets, and sells condominiums through Toll Brothers City Living. The company also develops a range of single-story living and first-floor primary bedroom suite home designs, as well as communities with recreational amenities, such as golf courses, marinas, pool complexes, country clubs, and fitness and recreation centers; and develops, operates, and rents apartments.