Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $96.40 and last traded at $97.08, with a volume of 378293 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $101.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LEN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on Lennar from $133.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $88.00 target price on Lennar in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Argus upgraded Lennar to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Lennar from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price target (down from $125.00) on shares of Lennar in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lennar has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $106.14.

Lennar Stock Down 3.9%

The company has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.43. 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 50 day moving average price of $113.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.83.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 16th. The construction company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.27). Lennar had a return on equity of 9.27% and a net margin of 6.08%.The business had revenue of $9.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lennar Corporation will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Lennar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEN. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Lennar in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Lennar during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lennar during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Point Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lennar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lennar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 81.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Lennar

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.