PulteGroup Increases Quarterly Dividend 60% To $0.08 Per Share And Increases Share Repurchase Authorization By $750 Million

ATLANTA, Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PulteGroup, Inc. PHM announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per common share payable January 6, 2015, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 15, 2014.  The $0.08 per share represents a 60% increase in the Company's quarterly dividend.      

PulteGroup also announced that its Board of Directors approved a share repurchase authorization of $750 million.  At the end of the third quarter, the Company had $85 million available under its existing repurchase authorization.  The Company may repurchase shares in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise, depending on prevailing market conditions and other factors.  The share repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. 

"Our first priority in allocating capital is to invest responsibly in our business, and then to return excess funds to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases on a routine and systematic basis," said Richard J. Dugas, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer of PulteGroup. "Given the strong cash flows we expect to realize in the future, our Board has approved a 60% increase of PulteGroup's quarterly dividend to $0.08 per share and a $750 million increase in our share repurchase authorization.  By intelligently investing in our business while routinely returning funds to shareholders, we are aligning our capital allocation decisions with our Value Creation strategy and our fundamental goal of increasing long-term total shareholder returns."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements."  These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities, as well as those of the markets we serve or intend to serve, to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements.  You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate to matters of a strictly factual or historical nature and generally discuss or relate to forecasts, estimates or other expectations regarding future events.  Generally, the words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "may," "can," "could," "might," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, including statements related to expected operating and performing results, planned transactions, planned objectives of management, future developments or conditions in the industries in which we participate and other trends, developments and uncertainties that may affect our business in the future.

Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among other things: interest rate changes and the availability of mortgage financing; continued volatility in the debt and equity markets; competition within the industries in which PulteGroup operates; the availability and cost of land and other raw materials used by PulteGroup in its homebuilding operations; the impact of any changes to our strategy in responding to the cyclical nature of the industry, including any changes regarding our land positions; the availability and cost of insurance covering risks associated with PulteGroup's businesses; shortages and the cost of labor; weather related slowdowns; slow growth initiatives and/or local building moratoria; governmental regulation directed at or affecting the housing market, the homebuilding industry or construction activities; uncertainty in the mortgage lending industry, including revisions to underwriting standards and repurchase requirements associated with the sale of mortgage loans; the interpretation of or changes to tax, labor and environmental laws; economic changes nationally or in PulteGroup's local markets, including inflation, deflation, changes in consumer confidence and preferences and the state of the market for homes in general; legal or regulatory proceedings or claims; our ability to generate sufficient cash flow in order to successfully implement our capital allocation priorities; required accounting changes; terrorist acts and other acts of war; and other factors of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business and competitive nature.  See PulteGroup's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to our businesses.  PulteGroup undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or changes in PulteGroup's expectations.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc. PHM, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of America's largest homebuilding companies with operations in approximately 50 markets throughout the country.  Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb and DiVosta Homes, the Company is one of the industry's most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand.  PulteGroup conducts extensive research to provide homebuyers with innovative solutions and consumer inspired homes and communities to make lives better.

For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to www.pultegroupinc.com; www.pulte.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com and www.divosta.com.

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SOURCE PulteGroup, Inc.