Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) EVP Austin Woffinden Sells 143 Shares of Stock

Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH) EVP Austin Woffinden sold 143 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.80, for a total transaction of $10,982.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,581,696. The trade was a 0.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Meritage Homes Stock Performance

Shares of MTH stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $74.86. 195,655 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,029,603. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.10. Meritage Homes Corporation has a 1 year low of $59.27 and a 1 year high of $84.74. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $72.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.56.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.12. Meritage Homes had a return on equity of 9.28% and a net margin of 7.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.72 earnings per share. Meritage Homes’s revenue was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meritage Homes Corporation will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meritage Homes Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from Meritage Homes’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Meritage Homes’s payout ratio is currently 27.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MTH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of Meritage Homes in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group set a $95.00 price target on Meritage Homes in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Meritage Homes in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore set a $77.00 target price on shares of Meritage Homes and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meritage Homes presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.63.

Key Meritage Homes News

Here are the key news stories impacting Meritage Homes this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 (from $0.43), a $1.92 annualized payout (~2.6% yield) with an ex-dividend date of March 17 and pay date March 31 — adds income appeal and signals capital-return confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results: MTH reported $1.67 EPS vs. $1.55 consensus (an EPS beat), which supports valuation; note revenue fell ~11.9% YoY to $1.44B (a weakness investors should watch). Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive in places (e.g., Citi/UBS coverage and some buy/outperform ratings), keeping upside expectations above current trading levels. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated press release: a miner (Mithril) uses ticker “MTH” on ASX/TSXV — potential ticker-confusion in headlines but no business impact to Meritage. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor shifts reported in institutional holdings (small fund purchases and stake changes) — not material to ownership concentration (institutional ownership remains very high). Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Phillippe Lord sold 32,820 shares at ~$76.49 (~$2.51M), reducing his stake by ~11.2%; sizable insider sale that may create short-term selling pressure or investor caution. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Hilla Sferruzza sold 10,928 shares at ~$76.35 (~$834k), an ~8.0% reduction of her holdings — another senior-level sale. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Javier Feliciano sold 3,580 shares at ~$76.24 (~$273k), reducing his position by ~7.4%. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other insiders (EVP Austin Woffinden and CAO Alison Sasser) executed small sales (~143 and 151 shares) at ~\$76.80 — minor but part of the cluster of insider selling. Read More. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meritage Homes

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTH. Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meritage Homes in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,731,000. Lodge Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meritage Homes in the 3rd quarter worth $21,729,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Meritage Homes by 13.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 402,664 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,165,000 after purchasing an additional 46,554 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 90.1% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 119,754 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,804,000 after purchasing an additional 56,746 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Meritage Homes during the third quarter valued at about $37,477,000. 98.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes Corporation is a national homebuilder and residential developer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1985 as Winchester Homes and later rebranded to Meritage Homes, the company specializes in designing, constructing and selling single‐family detached and attached homes. With a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, Meritage Homes markets its properties under the GreenSmart program, which integrates high‐performance features aimed at reducing long‐term energy and water consumption for homebuyers.

The company’s core activities encompass land acquisition, residential community planning, home design, construction management and real estate sales.