Lennar stock holds Buy rating at UBS on stable margins despite Q2 miss

Published 17/06/2025, 15:46
Lennar stock holds Buy rating at UBS on stable margins despite Q2 miss

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN), currently trading at $112.26 with a market capitalization of $29.77 billion, maintained its Buy rating and $164.00 price target at UBS despite reporting second-quarter earnings that fell short of expectations. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears undervalued at current levels.

The homebuilder posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.90 for its fiscal second quarter of 2025, below both UBS and consensus estimates of $1.97 and $1.96, respectively. Home sales revenue reached $7.79 billion, missing UBS’s forecast of $7.97 billion and the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. Despite the miss, InvestingPro data shows the company maintains strong financial health with a GOOD overall rating.

The company’s homebuilding operating margin, including land sales gross profit, came in at 8.9%, below expectations of 9.8%, while selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of home sales revenue rose to 8.8%, higher than the 8.1% analysts had projected. Trading at a P/E ratio of just 7.79x, the stock presents an attractive valuation multiple relative to its peers.

New orders increased 6.1% year-over-year during the quarter, slightly below expectations but within the company’s outlook, as elevated mortgage rates and softer consumer confidence affected demand. Lennar repurchased $517 million of stock during the period, demonstrating management’s continued commitment to shareholder returns - an observation supported by InvestingPro’s analysis of aggressive share buybacks and high shareholder yield.

UBS highlighted the stability in Lennar’s gross margin of 17.8% (18% excluding purchase accounting) as a positive sign amid challenging market conditions, noting this metric largely matched expectations and has been a key focus for investors. With a current ratio of 8.67, the company maintains strong liquidity to navigate market uncertainties.

In other recent news, Lennar Corporation reported second-quarter earnings per share of $1.90, which fell below expectations due to lower average sales prices and increased expenses. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods maintained a Market Perform rating on Lennar, citing mixed results and a cautious outlook, with a price target of $128.00. Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings revised Lennar’s outlook to positive, affirming its Long-Term Issuer Default Rating at ’BBB+’, recognizing the company’s successful land-light strategy and strong financial flexibility. Fitch noted that Lennar’s EBITDA margins are expected to decline due to higher incentives needed to drive demand, projecting a decrease in fiscal 2025. In a separate development, UBS analysts upheld their Buy rating with a $164.00 price target, praising Lennar’s even-flow production strategy that allows for flexibility in response to market changes. JMP Securities adjusted its price target for Lennar to $150 from $170, maintaining a Market Outperform rating. Additionally, Lennar’s shareholders recently re-elected all director nominees and approved executive compensation, although several shareholder proposals on corporate governance and social responsibility were not passed. These developments provide insight into Lennar’s current financial standing and strategic direction.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.