Lennar to Expand in New & Existing Markets With Rausch Coleman Buyout

Lennar Corporation LEN is all set to acquire the homebuilding operations of a Fayetteville, AR-based residential homebuilder — Rausch Coleman Homes. The deal will help LEN enter the Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kansas and Missouri markets and expand its presence in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida.Also, Lennar intends to assign the purchase of and option for all of Rausch Coleman's land assets to a third party, which aligns with its land light strategy. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025 and help LEN meet its growth target.Rausch Coleman's homebuilding division is expected to deliver approximately 5,000 homes with an average sales price of $230,000 in 2024.LEN’s Stock Movement & Earnings ExpectationLennar’s stock has gained 3.7% compared with the industry 8.4% growth in the past six months.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEstimates for earnings per share (EPS) for fiscal 2024 have remained stable at $14.18, while that of fiscal 2025 moved up to $16.04 from $15.99 in the past 60 days. The estimated EPS reflects a minor decline for fiscal 2024 but 13.1% growth for fiscal 2025.Revenues for fiscal 2024 and 2025 are also expected to grow 4.1% and 9.3%, respectively.This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has also delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.3%, on average. The positive trend signifies analysts’ bullish sentiments, robust fundamentals and prospects of outperformance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Lennar and other industry players like D.R. Horton, Inc. DHI, PulteGroup, Inc. PHM and NVR, Inc. NVR face a range of challenges, including affordability constraints, construction cost pressures, entitlement delays, and market volatility. These headwinds could impact their short-term and medium-term performance.Strength in LEN’s Business StrategiesDespite the affordability challenges of higher interest rates, Lennar has maintained strong demand for its homes. Lower future interest rates are expected to unlock additional demand, particularly for entry-level homes, and enable families to move up the housing ladder.Lennar's ongoing shift to an asset-light model has driven operating efficiencies. The company has steadily reduced its land holdings while increasing its reliance on just-in-time finished homesite delivery from third-party land banking partners. This has resulted in improved cash flow, higher inventory turnover, and reduced capital intensity. Also, the planned spin-off of its land assets into a new public company could further strengthen its financial position.Lennar increased its home starts by 8% and deliveries by 16% in the fiscal third quarter from a year ago. The company also reported a 5% increase in new orders, contributing to expectations of delivering between 80,500 and 81,000 homes for the full year, with continued growth into 2025.Performance of Other CompaniesA brief discussion of the above-mentioned stocks’ recent earnings release.D.R. Horton reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 (ended Sept. 30, 2024) results, with earnings and revenues missing Zacks Consensus Estimate and decreasing on a year-over-year basis.DHI’s quarterly performance fell short of expectations primarily due to high mortgage rates and buyer hesitancy.PulteGroup reported impressive results in the third quarter of 2024, wherein earnings and total revenues handily beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and grew year over year.PHM’s result reflects the successful execution of the company’s balanced spec and build-to-order operating model. This, alongside the structural shortage of homes from years of underbuilding, continued to favor the company. Thanks to such tailwinds, the home closings during the quarter grew year over year, resulting in record third-quarter home sale revenues.NVR reported mixed third-quarter 2024 results, with earnings missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and Homebuilding revenues surpassing the same. On the other hand, both metrics increased on a year-over-year basis.This upside was backed by improved demand trends, which resulted in higher settlements. Although the cancelation rate increased in the quarter, growth in new orders is encouraging for the company.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report Lennar Corporation (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report NVR, Inc. (NVR): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks