Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Acquires 1,429 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,449 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,429 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $3,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in PulteGroup by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 444 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 642.2% in the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 475 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PHM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised their target price on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $101.76 on Monday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.35 and a 1 year high of $149.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.24.

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

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total transaction of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

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.