Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $94.52 and last traded at $95.09, with a volume of 3820707 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $100.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on TOL. StockNews.com raised shares of Toll Brothers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Toll Brothers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on Toll Brothers from $115.00 to $101.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Toll Brothers from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Toll Brothers from $143.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.57.

Toll Brothers Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 4.65. The company has a market capitalization of $9.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.77 and its 200 day moving average is $134.41.

Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.24). Toll Brothers had a net margin of 14.03% and a return on equity of 18.32%. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.91 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Toll Brothers, Inc. will post 13.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Toll Brothers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This is a positive change from Toll Brothers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Toll Brothers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Toll Brothers news, Director Christine Garvey sold 420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.58, for a total value of $46,443.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,458,107.88. The trade was a 3.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Toll Brothers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Toll Brothers by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 48,380 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,472,000 after purchasing an additional 15,913 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Toll Brothers during the 3rd quarter worth $62,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Toll Brothers by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,662,387 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $565,802,000 after buying an additional 42,871 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Toll Brothers by 10.6% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,235 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Toll Brothers in the third quarter worth about $204,000. Institutional investors own 91.76% of the company’s stock.

About Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges finance for a range of detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities in the United States. It designs, builds, markets, and sells condominiums through Toll Brothers City Living. The company also develops a range of single-story living and first-floor primary bedroom suite home designs, as well as communities with recreational amenities, such as golf courses, marinas, pool complexes, country clubs, and fitness and recreation centers; and develops, operates, and rents apartments.