Meritage Homes Co. (NYSE:MTH) Stake Raised by Woodson Capital Management LP

Woodson Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Meritage Homes Co. (NYSE:MTH - Free Report) by 27.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,300 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Meritage Homes accounts for approximately 1.0% of Woodson Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Woodson Capital Management LP owned 0.05% of Meritage Homes worth $5,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Meritage Homes in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Meritage Homes by 545.5% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 213 shares of the construction company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Meritage Homes in the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Meritage Homes by 235.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the construction company's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Meritage Homes by 38.9% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the construction company's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. 98.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MTH shares. Wall Street Zen cut Meritage Homes from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Meritage Homes from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group set a $107.00 target price on Meritage Homes in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Meritage Homes in a research note on Monday, May 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Meritage Homes from $90.00 to $77.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $97.72.

Meritage Homes Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MTH traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $64.30. 1,176,009 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 882,882. Meritage Homes Co. has a 1 year low of $59.27 and a 1 year high of $106.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $67.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.61.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.02). Meritage Homes had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 15.90%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.06 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meritage Homes Co. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meritage Homes Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Meritage Homes's dividend payout ratio is 14.06%.

About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs and builds single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. It acquires and develops land; and constructs, markets, and sells homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.