Insider Buying: Lennar (NYSE:LEN) Major Shareholder Buys 653,320 Shares of Company Stock

by · The Markets Daily

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN – Get Free Report) major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 653,320 shares of Lennar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $80.88 per share, with a total value of $52,840,521.60. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 24,893,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,013,348,428.16. This trade represents a 2.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

  • On Friday, September 25th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 492,124 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $81.12 per share, with a total value of $39,921,098.88.
  • On Wednesday, September 23rd, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 534,256 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.65 per share, with a total value of $43,622,002.40.
  • On Monday, September 21st, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 667,118 shares of Lennar stock. The shares were bought 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 bought 1,381,397 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $76.48 per share, for a total transaction of $105,649,242.56.
  • On Thursday, September 17th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought 695,014 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $78.98 per share, with a total value of $54,892,205.72.

Lennar Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE LEN traded up $0.65 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.12. 3,890,709 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,436,968. The company has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.58. Lennar Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.70 and a 12 month high of $133.76. The company has a current ratio of 4.94, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Lennar (NYSE:LEN – Get Free Report) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $8.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.32 billion. Lennar had a return on equity of 6.15% and a net margin of 4.09%.The business’s revenue was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lennar Corporation will post 4.85 EPS for the current year.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 7th. Lennar’s payout ratio is 37.81%.

Key Stories Impacting Lennar

Here are the key news stories impacting Lennar this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a purchase worth approximately $212.38 million, increasing its Lennar ownership above 10%. The investment by Warren Buffett’s company is a strong institutional vote of confidence and suggests Berkshire views Lennar’s depressed valuation and housing supply position as attractive. Lennar Shares Jumped After Berkshire Hathaway Increased Its Position
  • Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, or $2.00 annualized, representing an approximately 2.5% yield. The payout reinforces Lennar’s shareholder-return profile, although the ex-dividend date is October 7.
  • Positive Sentiment: Lennar is expanding its geographic footprint by opening an Iowa division with five communities in the Des Moines area. New communities could support longer-term revenue and order growth if local demand remains healthy. Lennar’s New Iowa Division Opens Five Des Moines-Area Communities
  • Neutral Sentiment: Lennar announced Venue at Leaf Creek, a 55-and-over community in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, highlighting continued development activity and product expansion. The announcement is strategically supportive but does not provide material financial guidance. Lennar’s Venue at Leaf Creek Announcement
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings missed expectations, revenue declined year over year, and Lennar cut its outlook. The weaker operating backdrop reflects pressure from mortgage rates, affordability challenges and softer housing demand.
  • Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer remained cautious on Lennar and the broader homebuilding sector, emphasizing the adverse impact of interest-rate uncertainty on housing activity. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also issued a pessimistic forecast for the stock. Jim Cramer’s Lennar Commentary
  • Negative Sentiment: Lennar’s lawsuit involving a rejected 265-unit condominium project in Geneva is moving forward, creating legal uncertainty and potentially delaying development plans.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennar

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEN. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Lennar by 19.7% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,546,970 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $221,176,000 after buying an additional 419,745 shares in the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. raised its position in 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 last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Lennar by 4.8% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 601,468 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,231,000 after purchasing an additional 27,500 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lennar by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 461,696 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,462,000 after buying an additional 43,186 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in Lennar by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 445,407 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,788,000 after buying an additional 19,878 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Lennar from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Lennar from $85.00 to $75.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Evercore raised their target price on Lennar from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Citigroup lowered 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lennar from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lennar has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $81.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on LEN

About Lennar

(Get Free Report)

Lennar Corporation is one of the largest homebuilders in the United States. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company designs, constructs, and sells single-family homes and communities for a range of buyers, including first-time, move-up, and active-adult purchasers.

Lennar operates across many of the country’s major housing markets, including communities in the West, Southwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and other metropolitan areas. Its homebuilding operations offer a variety of floor plans and home designs, while the company also develops residential communities and provides related services such as mortgage financing, title, and closing services through its financial-services businesses.

In addition to traditional homebuilding, Lennar has expanded into multifamily development and other residential real-estate activities.

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