Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) Shares Bought by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 260,791 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 10,967 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 4.28% of Hovnanian Enterprises worth $26,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Hovnanian Enterprises by 9.9% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 331,716 shares of the construction company's stock worth $32,910,000 after purchasing an additional 29,938 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Hovnanian Enterprises by 15.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 261,715 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,199,000 after purchasing an additional 34,810 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Hovnanian Enterprises by 24.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 177,105 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,569,000 after purchasing an additional 34,463 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Hovnanian Enterprises by 4.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 104,317 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,464,000 after purchasing an additional 4,143 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hovnanian Enterprises by 3.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,431 shares of the construction company's stock worth $9,269,000 after purchasing an additional 3,369 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ara K. Hovnanian sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $157,820.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,123,784.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 17.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on HOV. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hovnanian Enterprises from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 3rd. Zelman & Associates reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Hovnanian Enterprises in a research note on Friday. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Hovnanian Enterprises from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th.

Hovnanian Enterprises Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises stock traded down $4.45 on Friday, reaching $141.64. The company had a trading volume of 61,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 70,846. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $151.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.84. The firm has a market cap of $864.00 million, a PE ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 2.61. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.39 and a 52-week high of $183.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 4.07.

Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE:HOV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The construction company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $594.20 million for the quarter. Hovnanian Enterprises had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 58.22%.

About Hovnanian Enterprises

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, markets, and sells residential homes in the United States. It offers single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill, and active lifestyle homes with amenities, such as clubhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts, tot lots, and open areas.