Q2 EPS Estimates for Meritage Homes Reduced by Citizens Jmp

Key Points

• Citizens Jmp cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for Meritage Homes to $1.32 (from $1.38) and trimmed FY estimates while retaining a Market Outperform rating and a $90 price target.
• Meritage missed the latest quarter, reporting EPS of $0.86 versus consensus $0.98 and revenue of $1.12 billion versus $1.55 billion, with revenue down 17.5% year‑over‑year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 (annualized $1.92), implying a ~2.8% yield and a payout ratio around 35% despite recent operational headwinds.

Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH - Free Report) - Research analysts at Citizens Jmp decreased their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Meritage Homes in a research report issued on Thursday, April 23rd. Citizens Jmp analyst J. Mccanless now anticipates that the construction company will earn $1.32 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.38. Citizens Jmp has a "Market Outperform" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Meritage Homes' current full-year earnings is $5.55 per share. Citizens Jmp also issued estimates for Meritage Homes' Q3 2026 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.30 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.82 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.80 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.45 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $1.51 EPS.

MTH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Meritage Homes from $78.00 to $76.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group set a $86.00 target price on Meritage Homes and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup initiated coverage on Meritage Homes in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Meritage Homes from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.89.

Meritage Homes Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MTH opened at $69.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.50. Meritage Homes has a 1 year low of $58.03 and a 1 year high of $84.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 2.10. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.45.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Meritage Homes had a return on equity of 8.08% and a net margin of 6.86%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS.

Meritage Homes Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Meritage Homes's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Meritage Homes's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 32,820 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.49, for a total value of $2,510,401.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,917,154.61. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Hilla Sferruzza sold 10,928 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.35, for a total value of $834,352.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 124,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,540,772.35. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,622 shares of company stock worth $3,640,273. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MTH. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Meritage Homes by 134.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,658 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 22,162 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Meritage Homes by 51.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 12,937 shares of the construction company's stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 4,407 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Meritage Homes by 58.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,058,850 shares of the construction company's stock worth $75,051,000 after purchasing an additional 391,297 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Meritage Homes by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,971 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 17,343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Meritage Homes by 102.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 319,150 shares of the construction company's stock worth $22,621,000 after purchasing an additional 161,806 shares during the last quarter. 98.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Meritage Homes

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Jmp kept a constructive stance on MTH by maintaining a "Market Outperform" rating and a $90 price target, which supports upside expectations despite modest forecast cuts. Citizens Jmp Research / MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated company using the ticker MTH on overseas exchanges (Mithril Silver & Gold) released a March quarterly report — not relevant to U.S. homebuilder Meritage Homes but potentially confusing to some screeners. Mithril Silver and Gold March 2026 Quarterly Report
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target to $58 (from $62) and set a "neutral" rating — a notable downward revision that implies meaningful downside from current levels and likely pressured intraday sentiment. Benzinga note on JPMorgan PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed Q2 2026, FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates (notably downgrading FY2027 and Q2 EPS), signaling lower expected near‑term profitability and reducing analyst-driven upside. Wolfe Research estimates / MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens Jmp also trimmed FY2027 and quarterly estimates (albeit while keeping Outperform), adding to the chorus of forecast downgrades that weigh on sentiment and valuation assumptions. Citizens Jmp estimates / MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier quarterly results (April 22) showed an EPS and revenue miss and year‑over‑year revenue decline, which remains a fundamental headwind — analysts are adjusting models accordingly. Meritage quarter results / MarketBeat

About Meritage Homes

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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