Scientech Research LLC Invests $1.30 Million in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Scientech Research LLC bought a new stake in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 9,519 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,298,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LEN. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lennar by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 183 shares of the construction company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Lennar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Lennar during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lennar during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its stake in shares of Lennar by 611.9% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 299 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. 81.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lennar Stock Performance

Lennar stock traded down $1.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $104.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 759,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,294. The company has a market capitalization of $27.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.29, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $110.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.32. Lennar Co. has a 12-month low of $98.42 and a 12-month high of $187.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 4.71.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The construction company reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.44. Lennar had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.10%. The company had revenue of $7.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lennar's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America cut their target price on Lennar from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI restated an "in-line" rating and set a $131.00 price target (down previously from $159.00) on shares of Lennar in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Lennar from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lennar from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lennar has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $150.07.

Lennar Profile

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.