PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Acquired by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 19.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,141 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,806 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PHM. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. JNBA Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 1,059.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 313 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $109.37 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $100.24 and a one year high of $149.47. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.67.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. Equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on PHM shares. StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.86.

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.