Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Meritage Homes’ Q1 2026 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.75 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.65 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.10 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.81 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.95 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $7.04 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.52 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $8.15 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $8.17 EPS.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Meritage Homes in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. UBS Group set a $95.00 target price on Meritage Homes in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen cut Meritage Homes from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meritage Homes presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Meritage Homes Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE MTH opened at $64.99 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.62. Meritage Homes has a one year low of $58.03 and a one year high of $84.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.10. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.50.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.12. Meritage Homes had a return on equity of 9.28% and a net margin of 7.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Meritage Homes will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meritage Homes Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from Meritage Homes’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Meritage Homes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

Insider Transactions at Meritage Homes

In other news, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 32,820 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.49, for a total transaction of $2,510,401.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,917,154.61. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Hilla Sferruzza sold 10,928 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.35, for a total value of $834,352.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 124,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,540,772.35. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,622 shares of company stock worth $3,640,273. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meritage Homes

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Meritage Homes by 63.9% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 372 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meritage Homes by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $699,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in Meritage Homes by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,559 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meritage Homes by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,559 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $892,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Meritage Homes by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.44% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Meritage Homes

Here are the key news stories impacting Meritage Homes this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research now expects Meritage to beat near‑term estimates and has nudged several quarterly and multi‑year EPS forecasts higher, including raises to Q1–Q4 2026 and FY2026–FY2028 estimates; Zacks also upgraded the stock from “strong sell” to “hold” — this supports upside into the upcoming Q1 release. Meritage Homes (MTH) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ estimate revisions are mostly small incremental raises to multiple quarters (Q1–Q4 2026, FY2026–FY2028 and early 2027), and Zacks retains a “Hold” rating — positive for sentiment but not a strong conviction buy signal by itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wolfe Research issued mixed changes: they raised their Q3 2026 view materially but also adjusted other quarter calls — mixed analyst views can increase intra‑day volatility rather than a clear directional catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research cut Q2 2026 and Q4 2026 EPS forecasts sharply (Q2 trimmed to $1.50 from $1.96; Q4 to $0.97 from $1.32), signaling near‑term margin or demand risks that can pressure the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary and coverage highlighting market challenges and an earnings downgrade narrative have added selling pressure; see coverage outlining the downgrade and near‑term headwinds. Meritage Homes Faces Earnings Downgrade Amid Market Challenges

About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes Corporation is a national homebuilder and residential developer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1985 as Winchester Homes and later rebranded to Meritage Homes, the company specializes in designing, constructing and selling single‐family detached and attached homes. With a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, Meritage Homes markets its properties under the GreenSmart program, which integrates high‐performance features aimed at reducing long‐term energy and water consumption for homebuyers.

The company’s core activities encompass land acquisition, residential community planning, home design, construction management and real estate sales.