Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.40 and last traded at $116.59, with a volume of 1041156 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $118.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LEN shares. BTIG Research cut Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lennar from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Lennar from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Lennar from $190.00 to $162.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Lennar from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lennar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.93.

Lennar Trading Up 1.5 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $127.53 and a 200-day moving average of $155.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.15 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.10%. Lennar’s revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lennar Co. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. Lennar’s payout ratio is currently 13.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its stake in Lennar by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 183 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Lennar in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lennar in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lennar in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lennar in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Company 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.