PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Purchased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 44.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,589 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,644 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in PulteGroup by 23.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 18,364 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,022,000 after purchasing an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 61.3% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 7,817 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,970 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 147.0% in the second quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 26,383 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,710,000 after acquiring an additional 15,700 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the second quarter valued at about $226,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 34.2% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,188 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $461,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

NYSE:PHM opened at $115.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 8.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.67. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.24 and a 1-year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 6.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $168.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of PulteGroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $154.00 to $148.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $142.29.

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.