PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,951 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 526 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in PulteGroup by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,508 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,233,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 9,051 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,396 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $958,000. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,868 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 6,764 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,209,980.80. This represents a 23.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $103.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $109.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.54 and a 12 month high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. On average, research analysts forecast that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is 5.98%.

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.