Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Major Shareholder Purchases 1,708,095 Shares of Company Stock

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 1,708,095 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $79.44 per share, for a total transaction of $135,691,066.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,438,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,118,294.80. This trade represents a 6.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 1st, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 710,542 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $80.14 per share, for a total transaction of $56,942,835.88.
• On Wednesday, September 30th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 642,821 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $81.58 per share, with a total value of $52,441,337.18.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 12,389 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $81.93 per share, with a total value of $1,015,030.77.
• On Monday, September 28th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 5,200 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $81.96 per share, for a total transaction of $426,192.00.
• On Friday, September 25th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 492,124 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.12 per share, with a total value of $39,921,098.88.
• On Thursday, September 24th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 653,320 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.88 per share, with a total value of $52,840,521.60.
• On Wednesday, September 23rd, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 534,256 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $81.65 per share, for a total transaction of $43,622,002.40.
• On Monday, September 21st, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 667,118 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.74 per share, with a total value of $51,861,753.32.
• On Friday, September 18th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 1,381,397 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $76.48 per share, with a total value of $105,649,242.56.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 695,014 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $78.98 per share, for a total transaction of $54,892,205.72.

Lennar Stock Down 6.9%

Shares of LEN traded down $5.50 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $74.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,653,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,612,962. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 4.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.36. Lennar Corporation has a 1-year low of $73.75 and a 1-year high of $133.76.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $8.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.32 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 6.15% and a net margin of 4.09%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lennar Corporation will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lennar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 7th. Lennar’s payout ratio is currently 37.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LEN. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Lennar in a research report on Thursday. They set an “underweight” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Lennar from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Lennar from $107.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Lennar from $85.00 to $75.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Lennar in a research report on Friday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and ten have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lennar has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $79.86.

Institutional Trading of Lennar

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Lennar by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,546,970 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $221,176,000 after purchasing an additional 419,745 shares during the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. raised its position in shares of Lennar by 90.9% in the fourth quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 1,963,373 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $201,835,000 after purchasing an additional 934,856 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Lennar by 4.8% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 601,468 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,231,000 after buying an additional 27,500 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 461,696 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,462,000 after buying an additional 43,186 shares during the period. Finally, Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Lennar by 6,292.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. now owns 328,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,681,000 after buying an additional 322,869 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Lennar

Here are the key news stories impacting Lennar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway increased its Lennar position. Berkshire purchased 710,542 shares on October 1 and another 1,708,095 shares on October 2, investing roughly $193 million across the two disclosed transactions. Its holdings rose to 28.44 million shares, reinforcing Warren Buffett’s confidence in the homebuilder and providing potential support for the stock. Berkshire Buys More Lennar Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term housing investment thesis remains intact. Reports highlighted that Berkshire is building a significant housing-related portfolio despite industry weakness, suggesting it views Lennar’s valuation and long-term housing demand favorably. Berkshire Hathaway Housing Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor-law firms announced investigations. Block & Leviton is examining potential securities-law violations involving Lennar, while Julie & Holleman is investigating alleged misconduct related to transactions between Lennar and Millrose Properties. These announcements are not findings of wrongdoing but may add uncertainty and headline risk. Lennar Investor Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental and housing-market pressures remain significant. High mortgage rates, weaker affordability, declining home prices and sharp gross-margin compression are weighing on Lennar’s outlook. The company’s latest quarterly results also missed analyst expectations, with earnings per share of $1.23 versus a $1.29 consensus and revenue down 8.7% year over year. Lennar Housing-Market Pressures
• Negative Sentiment: Recent negative coverage intensified selling pressure. Lennar’s shares fell sharply after publication of a report questioning the company, adding to concerns about earnings performance and the broader housing downturn. Negative Lennar Report

Lennar Company Profile

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is a homebuilding company that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and, through its multifamily operations, develops apartment communities. Its residential offerings generally include homes across a range of sizes and prices, serving first-time, move-up and active-adult buyers.

The company also provides related services through businesses involved in mortgage financing, title and closing services, insurance and other real estate activities. Lennar develops residential communities and manages land acquisition, planning and construction as part of its integrated homebuilding model.

Founded in 1954, Lennar has expanded from its origins in South Florida into a national homebuilder serving numerous markets across the United States.