Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,528 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PHM. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in PulteGroup in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in PulteGroup by 335.6% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 379 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in PulteGroup by 3,463.6% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 392 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Up 4.0 %

NYSE PHM opened at $129.99 on Friday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.80 and a 52 week high of $130.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $26.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $114.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.56.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.56. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.75% and a return on equity of 25.67%. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.81 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 18th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on PHM. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $133.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $105.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $143.00 to $151.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.14.

About PulteGroup

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.