Versant Capital Management Inc Acquires 266 Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) by 70.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 642 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in PulteGroup were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Candriam S.C.A. purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1,059.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 313 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PHM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $139.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on PulteGroup from $168.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush raised PulteGroup from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.14.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE PHM opened at $110.05 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a PE ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.67. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.68 and a 52 week high of $149.47. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.88.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The company had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.90 EPS. PulteGroup’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.49%.

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.