Vest Financial LLC Acquires 52,594 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. $PHM

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 365,317 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 52,594 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $38,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC increased its position in PulteGroup by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup in the 1st quarter worth approximately $54,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 188.1% during the 2nd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 533 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 43.8% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 571 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PulteGroup stock opened at $119.92 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $130.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.04. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.07 and a 52-week high of $149.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.29.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 15.50%.The firm had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 6.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $132.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on PulteGroup from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.92.

PulteGroup Company 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.