Vest Financial LLC Buys 290,564 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 1,311.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 312,723 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 290,564 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.15% of PulteGroup worth $32,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at $427,562,000. Amundi boosted its position in PulteGroup by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $180,775,000 after acquiring an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,300,034,000 after acquiring an additional 683,592 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc boosted its position in PulteGroup by 136.8% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 988,963 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $107,698,000 after acquiring an additional 571,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at $47,133,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on PHM shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of PHM traded down $1.41 on Friday, reaching $100.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,396,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,015,215. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.09 billion, a PE ratio of 6.81, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $99.55 and a 200-day moving average of $108.10.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during 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 last year, the business posted $3.10 EPS. Equities analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. PulteGroup's payout ratio is currently 6.21%.

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.