Meritage Homes Corp.

2017 Performance Final Grade: 67.62/100
2016 Final Grade: 65.2/100
C+/C

28.57/40

Change YoY
Net debt-to-capital 38.9% -20bps
Pretax home building income
(in millions)
$217 15.9%
Total SG&A/Total revenue 10.9% --
Total SG&A
(in millions)
$351.7 2.1%
Return on invested capital 5.3% -80bps
Return on equity 9.6% -160bps
Total shareholder return 44.4% --
EPS $63.5 -4.8%

13.81/20

Change YoY
Community count 244 +1
Share of lots optioned to total controlled 31.9% -9%

13.81/20

Change YoY
Home building gross margins 17.6% 10bps
Sales per month to break even
(per community)
1.61 --
Revenue per employee
(in millions)
$2.0 -1.4%
Change YoY
Closings 7,709 4.8%
Sales velocity
(per community per month)
2.7 8.7%
Unit backlog 2,875 9.4%


Total revenue (in millions):$3,241
HB revenue (in millions): $3,186
Debt per share: $31.87
Equity per basic share: $39.14
HB pretax margin: 6.7%
Backlog value (in millions): $1,245.8
Inventory (in millions):$2,731.4
Lot supply (in years): 4.5

Strong fourth-quarter results helped deliver Meritage’s (NYSE: MTH) seventh consecutive year of annual order growth and its highest pretax earnings in over a decade. The strategy? A focus on entry-level, which made up nearly 33% of total 2017 orders, compared with roughly 24% in 2016. The East region led with a 47% increase in total home orders over the fourth quarter of 2016. “The East region should continue to drive strong results going forward,” says CEO and chairman Steve Hilton.