Dorato Capital Management Takes Position in PulteGroup, Inc. $PHM

Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 22,390 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,625,000. PulteGroup makes up approximately 2.0% of Dorato Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 2.8% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 4.2% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,163 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 0.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,308 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,890,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,736 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 10,520 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kevin A. Henry sold 5,173 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.03, for a total value of $729,548.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,069,333.19. This trade represents a 26.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ryan Marshall sold 111,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.86, for a total value of $14,891,925.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 659,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,266,213.12. This represents a 14.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 149,952 shares of company stock valued at $20,162,165. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $149.00 to $131.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on PulteGroup from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on PulteGroup from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.71.

PulteGroup Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE PHM opened at $117.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $144.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.79.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.35%.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs.

PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities.