Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $175.19.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LEN. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Lennar from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com lowered Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lennar from $171.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Lennar from $210.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Lennar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total value of $3,064,775.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,148,654.57. The trade was a 42.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEN. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in Lennar by 933.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 155 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lennar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of Lennar by 4,225.0% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lennar by 523.3% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 187 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. 81.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lennar Stock Performance

NYSE:LEN opened at $138.00 on Wednesday. Lennar has a 52 week low of $135.21 and a 52 week high of $193.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 4.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $37.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.61.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The construction company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 11.51%. Lennar’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lennar will post 14.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Lennar

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.