Investors Greet Lennar Q3 Results

Lennar Corporation LEN reported 5.6 percent YOY earnings growth for the third quarter driven by 14 percent uptick in top line that came in above the Street analysts' estimates. Following this, the stock advanced more than two percent in the pre-market trading on Tuesday on the back of 1.69 percent gain on Monday. The news come on the heels of National Association for Home Builder reporting improved confidence in September to 65 points from 59 points recorded in August. The reading also topped expectations of 60 points. The company reported net earnings of $235.8 million, up 5.6 percent from $223.3 million while EPS advanced 5.2 percent from $0.96 to $1.01. Street analysts' expected the company to deliver an EPS of $0.90. Lennar revenue increased 14 percent from $2.49 billion to $2.83 billion thus beating the Street estimates of $2.68 billion. While deliveries advanced 7 percent, new orders volume grew 8 percent and backlog volume increased 12 percent. The company's CEO, Stuart Miller, commented, "While the housing market's recovery has continued to progress on a slow, steady and sometimes, choppy path, we have continued to manage our sales and delivery targets in the 7% - 10% range, while focusing on bottom-line profitability and balance sheet strength. Following the news, the stock advanced to $46.33 gaining $1.24, or 2.75 percent, in the pre-market trading on Tuesday.