Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.3846.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LEN. Argus raised Lennar to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lennar from $98.00 to $88.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Evercore lowered shares of Lennar from an “in-line” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $114.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Lennar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $137.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Lennar in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th.

Lennar Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of LEN stock opened at $122.33 on Monday. Lennar has a 12-month low of $98.42 and a 12-month high of $144.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 4.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $113.02 and a 200-day moving average of $121.98. The company has a market capitalization of $30.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.44.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 16th. The construction company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $9.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 9.27% and a net margin of 6.08%.Lennar’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lennar will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 4th. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in Lennar by 8.3% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 1,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Lennar by 2.1% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC increased its stake in shares of Lennar by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 1,059 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Lennar by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,595 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is a U.S.-based homebuilder and real estate company that designs, constructs and sells residential housing. The company offers a range of product types including single-family detached homes, townhomes and condominiums, serving buyers from entry-level and first-time purchasers to move-up, active-adult and luxury segments. Lennar also develops master-planned communities and manages land acquisition and entitlement activities that support its homebuilding operations.

In addition to home construction and sales, Lennar provides a suite of ancillary services intended to streamline the purchase process and capture additional value.