Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Meritage issued Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $1.18–$1.46, below the consensus of $1.52, and its Q1 results also missed materially (Q1 EPS $0.86 vs $1.59 estimate; revenue $1.12B vs $1.55B, down ~17.5% YoY).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 ($1.92 annual, 2.7% yield) and maintains a relatively conservative balance sheet (debt-to-equity 0.35) while the stock trades near $69.92 with a P/E of 11.06.
• Insiders have been net sellers (CEO sold 32,820 shares; 47,622 shares sold in the last 90 days) and analyst sentiment is mixed — an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $82.11 but several recent price-target cuts.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH - Get Free Report) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.180-1.460 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.520. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Meritage Homes Stock Performance

MTH stock traded up $1.21 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $69.92. 1,706,209 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,018,526. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $67.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.43. Meritage Homes has a one year low of $58.03 and a one year high of $84.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.50.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.73). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. Meritage Homes had a net margin of 7.73% and a return on equity of 9.28%. The company's revenue was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Meritage Homes will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Meritage Homes Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a boost from Meritage Homes's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Meritage Homes's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MTH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Meritage Homes from $78.00 to $76.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial set a $80.00 target price on Meritage Homes and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Meritage Homes in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Meritage Homes from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meritage Homes currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $82.11.

Insider Activity at Meritage Homes

In other news, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 32,820 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.49, for a total transaction of $2,510,401.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 260,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,917,154.61. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Javier Feliciano sold 3,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.24, for a total transaction of $272,939.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,425,844.40. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 47,622 shares of company stock worth $3,640,273 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Meritage Homes News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Meritage Homes this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company balance-sheet and some analyst support: Meritage still reports a sizable cash balance and relatively low leverage vs. peers, which can cushion operations through a weaker housing cycle; several brokers still have targets above the current price. QuiverQuant Q1 recap
• Neutral Sentiment: Official Q1 release, conference call and transcript available — investors can review management’s commentary and the slide deck for forward commentary and any updated guidance (important for near-term outlook). GlobeNewswire press release
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 revenue and EPS missed expectations and showed sharp YoY declines — revenue fell about 17–18% YoY and EPS declined roughly 50%+ vs. year-ago levels; gross profit, operating profit and net income also dropped materially, which pressured near-term profitability and investor sentiment. QuiverQuant Q1 recap
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction includes at least one price-target cut (Bank of America lowered its target to $72), reflecting more cautious near-term estimates. That reduces upside in sell-side models and can weigh on sentiment. American Banking News: BofA PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional selling noted in recent reports — multiple insiders sold shares and several large institutional holders trimmed positions in Q4, which can be interpreted as a negative signal by some investors. QuiverQuant insider & holdings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Prior-quarter transcripts are available (Q3/Q2 transcripts) for historical context on management’s strategy; useful for longer-term investors but less market-moving than the fresh Q1 print. Q1 2026 earnings transcript

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meritage Homes

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 265.5% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 402 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 194.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 699 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Meritage Homes in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the construction company's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the construction company's stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. 98.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meritage Homes Company Profile

Meritage Homes Corporation is a national homebuilder and residential developer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1985 as Winchester Homes and later rebranded to Meritage Homes, the company specializes in designing, constructing and selling single‐family detached and attached homes. With a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, Meritage Homes markets its properties under the GreenSmart program, which integrates high‐performance features aimed at reducing long‐term energy and water consumption for homebuyers.

The company's core activities encompass land acquisition, residential community planning, home design, construction management and real estate sales.

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