Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Sells 47,166 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. decreased its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 35.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 87,216 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 47,166 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $9,498,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $2,963,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 2,103 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $958,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,389 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 101,163 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,017,000 after purchasing an additional 4,005 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of PHM stock traded down $1.33 on Monday, reaching $103.09. 412,864 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,994,975. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $88.07 and a one year high of $149.47. The stock has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a PE ratio of 7.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.99.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.10 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on PHM shares. Barclays reduced 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. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.69.

About PulteGroup

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.