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

Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Lennar (NYSE:LEN) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

LEN has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Lennar from $225.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lennar from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lennar from $181.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Lennar from $190.00 to $162.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.50.

Lennar Stock Performance

LEN opened at $133.52 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 4.90 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $36.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.84, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.66. Lennar has a 1-year low of $130.91 and a 1-year high of $193.80.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 11.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.82 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lennar will post 14.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sold 17,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 23,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,148,654.57. This represents a 42.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Lennar by 933.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 155 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lennar during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Lennar by 523.3% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 187 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. 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.