USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 20,695 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 30.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,832 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 20,695 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $5,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in PulteGroup by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in PulteGroup by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,224 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in PulteGroup by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in PulteGroup by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1858 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in PulteGroup by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,349 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PHM shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.69.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE:PHM traded down $2.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.78. 407,984 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,004,785. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $100.32 and a 200 day moving average of $109.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $19.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.65, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37.

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

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.