Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $108.22 and last traded at $108.38, with a volume of 935716 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $115.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on LEN shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $131.00 price objective (down previously from $159.00) on shares of Lennar in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com lowered Lennar from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lennar from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BTIG Research cut shares of Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Lennar from $141.00 to $128.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lennar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.07.

Lennar Stock Down 6.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 4.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.55, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $122.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.73.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The construction company reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Lennar during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Lennar by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 204,431 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $27,878,000 after purchasing an additional 1,515 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lennar by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 3,149 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Cim LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 29,702 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,050,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lennar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 81.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lennar

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.