Vise Technologies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN - Free Report) by 120.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,300 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 4,529 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Lennar were worth $1,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JT Stratford LLC grew its position in shares of Lennar by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 16,843 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,297,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Lennar during the fourth quarter worth $1,956,000. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Lennar by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 18,107 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,469,000 after acquiring an additional 8,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sophron Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Lennar during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,336,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company's stock.

Lennar Stock Performance

Shares of Lennar stock traded down $2.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $105.16. The company had a trading volume of 2,465,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,726. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $129.18. The stock has a market cap of $27.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.33, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lennar Co. has a 12-month low of $98.42 and a 12-month high of $187.61.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The construction company reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $7.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.44 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lennar's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LEN. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Lennar from $183.00 to $164.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and set a $131.00 target price (down previously from $159.00) on shares of Lennar in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Lennar from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Lennar from $121.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Lennar from $141.00 to $128.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $150.07.

About Lennar

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.