Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to “Peer Perform”

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) was downgraded by Wolfe Research from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

LEN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Lennar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Lennar from $225.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank Of America (Bofa) increased their price objective on shares of Lennar from $171.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lennar from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $172.31.

Lennar Stock Down 1.5 %

LEN stock opened at $133.04 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $158.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.17. The company has a market capitalization of $36.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.90 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Lennar has a 12 month low of $132.83 and a 12 month high of $193.80.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last announced its quarterly 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). Lennar had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 11.51%. The firm had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lennar will post 14.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total transaction of $3,064,775.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,148,654.57. This trade represents a 42.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 9.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEN. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Lennar during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lennar by 933.3% in the third 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 during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lennar in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lennar by 4,225.0% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. 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 purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. 81.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.