Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lennar (NYSE:LEN) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $131.00 price target (down from $159.00) on shares of Lennar in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lennar from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Lennar from $183.00 to $164.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Lennar from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $151.07.

Lennar Price Performance

Shares of LEN opened at $113.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $124.05 and a 200-day moving average of $151.13. Lennar has a twelve month low of $111.26 and a twelve month high of $187.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.69.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The construction company reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $7.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.44 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lennar will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. Lennar’s payout ratio is 14.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Lennar by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 204,431 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,878,000 after buying an additional 1,515 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Lennar by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 3,149 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Cim LLC grew its stake in Lennar by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 29,702 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,050,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lennar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Lennar in the fourth quarter worth about $17,586,000. 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.