Bleakley Financial Group LLC Has $747,000 Stake in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,011 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Lennar were worth $747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LEN. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lennar during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the third quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lennar

In related news, Director Amy Banse purchased 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $157.00 per share, with a total value of $247,275.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,861,863. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Lennar from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Lennar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Lennar from $175.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Lennar from $161.00 to $157.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Lennar from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.88.

Lennar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEN opened at $159.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 5.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Lennar Co. has a twelve month low of $102.90 and a twelve month high of $172.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $159.55 and its 200-day moving average is $140.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.53.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.36. Lennar had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 11.59%. The company had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. Lennar’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lennar Co. will post 14.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lennar’s payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Lennar Profile

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.