Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $99.8667.

A number of brokerages recently commented on LEN. Barclays decreased their target price on Lennar from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Lennar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lennar from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Lennar from $105.00 to $97.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Lennar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Lennar by 7.1% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in Lennar by 8.3% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 1,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lennar by 2.1% during the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in shares of Lennar by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 1,059 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lennar by 6.2% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,595 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Stock Performance

NYSE:LEN opened at $90.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.39. Lennar has a fifty-two week low of $81.18 and a fifty-two week high of $144.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 4.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $89.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.00.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The construction company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.90 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 7.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.14 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lennar will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio is 28.74%.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is a U.S.-based homebuilder and real estate company that designs, constructs and sells residential housing. The company offers a range of product types including single-family detached homes, townhomes and condominiums, serving buyers from entry-level and first-time purchasers to move-up, active-adult and luxury segments. Lennar also develops master-planned communities and manages land acquisition and entitlement activities that support its homebuilding operations.

In addition to home construction and sales, Lennar provides a suite of ancillary services intended to streamline the purchase process and capture additional value.