Vista Investment Partners II LLC Purchases 3,322 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC increased its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 37.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,119 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 3,322 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC's holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $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 worth $180,775,000 after purchasing an additional 716,716 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,937,866 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,300,034,000 after acquiring an additional 683,592 shares during the period. Man Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 136.8% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 988,963 shares of the construction company's stock worth $107,698,000 after acquiring an additional 571,251 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $47,133,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PHM. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PulteGroup stock traded up $0.49 on Monday, reaching $106.01. 505,217 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,017,016. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $101.61 and a 200 day moving average of $104.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.25 billion, a PE ratio of 7.47, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 16.45% and a return on equity of 22.86%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. 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.