Ruffer LLP Acquires 13,113 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP increased its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. by 45% to a total of 42,245 shares, worth approximately $4.34 million.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $134.15 for PulteGroup, with several firms giving it an "overweight" or "outperform" rating.
• PulteGroup reported a quarterly earnings per share of $3.03, surpassing estimates, despite a 4.3% decrease in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.

Ruffer LLP increased its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 45.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,245 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,113 shares during the period. Ruffer LLP's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $4,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PHM. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,976,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in PulteGroup by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 12,047 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,312,000 after buying an additional 2,532 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,642,000. Aviva PLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 44.6% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 129,725 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $14,127,000 after buying an additional 40,002 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 68.5% during the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 279,792 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,469,000 after purchasing an additional 113,772 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded PulteGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on PulteGroup from $128.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.15.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock traded up $1.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $121.14. 1,856,501 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,379,732. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.14. The company has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.22. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.07 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

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

PulteGroup 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.