Wells Fargo Keeps Overweight Rating on PulteGroup and Increases Price Target to $150
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Sep 02 2025
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Should l Buy PHM?
Source: Benzinga
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Analyst Views on PHM
Wall Street analysts forecast PHM stock price to rise
12 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 114.630
Low
111.00
Averages
138.73
High
159.00
Current: 114.630
Low
111.00
Averages
138.73
High
159.00
About PHM
PulteGroup, Inc. is a homebuilder in the United States. The Company's segments include Homebuilding and Financial Services. Its Homebuilding operations involve acquisition and development of land primarily for residential purposes within the United States and the construction of housing on such land. Its financial services business segment includes mortgage banking, title, and insurance agency operations, through Pulte Mortgage LLC (Pulte Mortgage) and other subsidiaries. Pulte Mortgage arranges financing through the origination of mortgage loans primarily for the benefit of its homebuyers. Its Homebuilding operations are aggregated into six segments: Northeast, Southeast, Florida, Midwest, Texas and West. The Company, through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, offers a variety of home designs with varying levels of options and amenities to its customer groups.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Rising Mortgage Rates: The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has surged from 5.99% to 6.5% due to the war with Iran, severely undermining the anticipated improvement in housing affordability and leading to a 5% drop in mortgage applications.
- Sales Forecast Downgrade: Zillow initially projected a 4.3% increase in existing home sales for 2026, but rising energy prices and inflation concerns have introduced new uncertainties, potentially reducing the sales growth to just 1.21%.
- New Construction Market Struggles: KB Home has lowered its full-year sales forecast following disappointing quarterly earnings, citing that net orders in Q1 fell below necessary levels, reflecting heightened consumer challenges exacerbated by the Middle East conflict.
- Supply-Demand Imbalance: The cancellation rate of home contracts has reached its highest since 2017, with approximately 13.7% of contracts canceled in February, resulting in over 600,000 more sellers than buyers in the market, creating a precarious and unstable housing environment.
See More
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Earnings Estimates Lowered: KB Home has reduced its earnings estimates due to cautious consumer behavior, rising mortgage rates, and geopolitical uncertainties.
Impact on Home-Builder Stocks: The revision of earnings estimates has negatively affected home-builder stocks, indicating a challenging market environment.
Future Outlook for Home Sales: Despite the current challenges, there is a glimmer of hope for home sales in 2026, suggesting potential recovery in the housing market.
Market Sentiment: The overall sentiment in the housing market remains cautious as builders navigate economic uncertainties and consumer hesitance.
See More
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- Market Performance Rating: Citizens JMP Securities initiates coverage on KB Home with an outperform rating and a 12-month price target of $77, indicating a potential upside of approximately 45%, reflecting the analyst's view that the stock is undervalued at current levels.
- Product Mix Adjustment: KB Home is shifting its product mix back towards build-to-order homes, which are expected to provide a long-term gross margin tailwind, particularly as demand for BTO homes has improved recently, indicating the effectiveness of the company's strategic pivot.
- Competitive Advantage: KB Home's operations in California face muted competition in most markets, providing opportunities for further market share and profit enhancement, especially with a potential rebound in gross profit margins anticipated in the fiscal year ending November 30, 2027.
- Analyst Opinion Divergence: Despite Citizens' contrarian view, only three out of 17 analysts covering KB Home on Wall Street rate it a buy, highlighting a significant divergence in market sentiment, with an average price target of $60 suggesting a 13% upside.
See More
US Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Plunge Over 10%
- Oil Price Plunge Fuels Market Surge: US stocks rallied sharply with the S&P 500 up 1.15%, the Dow Jones up 1.38%, and the Nasdaq 100 up 1.22%, as President Trump postponed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, alleviating geopolitical tensions and boosting investor sentiment.
- Bond Yields Decline: The 10-year Treasury yield fell from an 8-month high of 4.44% to 4.33%, providing support for equities as concerns over inflation pressures eased, which could influence future monetary policy decisions by the Federal Reserve.
- Mixed International Market Reactions: While US markets surged, European markets showed mixed results, with the Eurozone consumer confidence index dropping to a nearly 2.5-year low of -16.3, indicating economic uncertainty that may affect future investment strategies.
- Strong Performance from Tech Stocks: The so-called
See More
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- Market Surge: The S&P 500 rose by 2.10%, the Dow Jones by 2.30%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 2.19%, indicating a strong market response to the sharp drop in oil prices, which is expected to enhance corporate profitability.
- Oil Price Drop: Crude oil prices plummeted over 10% after President Trump postponed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, which will lower fuel costs for airlines and cruise lines, thereby boosting their profit margins.
- Bond Yields Decline: The 10-year Treasury yield fell from an 8-month high of 4.44% to 4.34%, reflecting reduced market concerns about inflationary pressures, which supports further stock market gains.
- International Tensions: Productive talks between Trump and Iran may lead to an end to the Middle East conflict, with the International Energy Agency reporting severe damage to over 40 energy sites across nine countries, potentially causing long-term disruptions to global supply chains.
See More
Stock Market Rises as Oil Prices Plunge
- Oil Price Plunge Impacts Market: Following President Trump's announcement to postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, crude oil prices fell over 7%, directly contributing to a 1.73% rise in the S&P 500 and a 1.97% increase in the Dow Jones, reflecting market optimism over easing geopolitical risks.
- Bond Yields Decline: The 10-year Treasury yield fell from an 8-month high of 4.44% to 4.27% on news of a potential end to the Iran war, indicating a reduction in investor concerns about inflationary pressures that could influence Federal Reserve policy decisions.
- Global Supply Chain Risks: The International Energy Agency reported that over 40 energy sites across nine Middle Eastern countries have been severely damaged due to the Iran war, potentially prolonging disruptions to global supply chains and affecting international market stability post-conflict.
- Strong Performance in Tech Stocks: Amidst the overall market rise, technology stocks like Tesla, Nvidia, and Amazon saw gains of over 2%, indicating increased investor confidence in the tech sector, which may lay the groundwork for future market growth.
See More
