Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Free Report) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 124,780 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 13,739 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of PulteGroup worth $13,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 43.0% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PulteGroup Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE:PHM traded down $2.69 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $100.98. 1,571,658 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,997,505. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.86, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $101.19 and a 200 day moving average of $112.89. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $149.47.

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

PulteGroup declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, PulteGroup presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup 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.