Financial Counselors Inc. Sells 287 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Financial Counselors Inc. trimmed its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,452 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 287 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 5.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,254,274 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,647,364,000 after acquiring an additional 585,735 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,864,040 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $267,546,000 after purchasing an additional 135,391 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,636,562 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $180,775,000 after purchasing an additional 716,716 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of PulteGroup by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,424,119 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $155,856,000 after purchasing an additional 129,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,351,491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $147,177,000 after buying an additional 19,829 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on PHM. StockNews.com cut PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of PHM opened at $101.76 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.35 and a 12-month high of $149.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $107.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. Equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.