Virtu Financial LLC Takes $1.15 Million Position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 10,404 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,145,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 1.9% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 27,269 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,289,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in PulteGroup by 166.6% in the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 13,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,215 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in PulteGroup by 6.2% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 297,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,890,000 after purchasing an additional 17,369 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $719,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 4.9% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 621,064 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,913,000 after purchasing an additional 28,774 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 28,993 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.29, for a total transaction of $3,748,504.97. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 160,330 shares in the company, valued at $20,729,065.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other PulteGroup news, Director Thomas J. Folliard sold 19,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.14, for a total value of $2,491,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 45,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,931,462.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 28,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.29, for a total transaction of $3,748,504.97. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 160,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,729,065.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 119,000 shares of company stock valued at $15,814,039. Insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $140.99 on Thursday. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.80 and a 52 week high of $144.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.62. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $127.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.10.

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. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.49 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.67% and a net margin of 16.75%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 12.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of PulteGroup from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Raymond James boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on PulteGroup from $131.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on PulteGroup from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.