PulteGroup (PHM) Risk Analysis

Our operations are subject to building, safety, environmental, and other regulations imposed and enforced by various federal, state, and local governing authorities. New housing developments may also be subject to various assessments for schools, parks, streets, and other public improvements. These assessments have increased over recent years as other funding mechanisms have decreased, causing local governing authorities to seek greater contributions from homebuilders. Although recently imposed tariffs have not had a material impact on our construction costs, newly imposed or increased tariffs, duties and/or trade restrictions on imported materials and goods that are used in connection with the construction and delivery of our homes may raise our costs for these items or for the products made with them. All of these factors have caused and could in the future cause an increase in the effective cost of our homes. We also are subject to a variety of local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning protection of health, safety, and the environment, including laws and regulations governing the disclosure of certain information relating to the environmental impact of our operations. The impact of environmental laws on our operations varies depending upon the prior uses of the building site or adjoining properties and may be greater in areas with less supply where undeveloped land or desirable alternatives are less available. These matters may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance, remediation and other costs, and could prohibit or severely restrict development and homebuilding activity in environmentally sensitive regions or areas. More stringent requirements could be imposed in the future on homebuilders, developers, and financial services companies, thereby increasing the cost of compliance. Our Financial Services operations are also subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations. These include eligibility requirements for participation in federal loan programs and compliance with consumer lending and similar requirements such as disclosure requirements, prohibitions against discrimination, and real estate settlement procedures. They also subject our operations to examination by applicable agencies, pursuant to which those agencies may limit our ability to provide mortgage financing or title services to potential purchasers of our homes. For example, for our homes to qualify for FHA or VA mortgages, we must satisfy valuation standards and site, material, and construction requirements of those agencies.

Although we expect all of our subcontractors, employees, officers, and directors to comply at all times with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, there may be instances in which subcontractors or others through whom we do business engage in practices that do not comply with applicable laws, regulations, or governmental guidelines. When we learn of practices that do not comply with applicable laws, regulations, or government guidelines, including practices relating to homes, buildings, or multifamily properties we build or finance, we endeavor to move to stop the non-complying practices as soon as possible, and we have taken disciplinary action regarding subcontractors and employees of ours who were aware of non-complying practices and did not take steps to address them, including in some instances terminating their employment or engagement. However, regardless of the steps we take after we learn of practices that do not comply with applicable laws, regulations, or government guidelines, we can in some instances be subject to fines or other governmental penalties, and our reputation can be injured, due to the practices having taken place. The homes we sell are built by employees of subcontractors and other contract parties. We do not have the ability to control what these contract parties pay their employees or subcontractors or the work rules they impose on their employees or subcontractors. However, various governmental agencies have attempted to hold contract parties like us responsible for violations of wage and hour laws and other work-related laws by firms whose employees are performing contracted services. Governmental rulings or changes in state or local laws that make us responsible for labor practices by our subcontractors could create substantial exposures for us in situations that are not within our control.

In addition to more frequent extreme weather events, global climate change can also impact our operations through extensive governmental policy developments and shifts in consumer sentiment, which have the potential individually or collectively to significantly disrupt our business as well as negatively affect our suppliers, independent contractors, and customers. For instance, the requirement to modify our home designs mandated by upgraded building codes or recommended practices given a region's particular exposure to climate conditions can increase our costs, which we may not be able to recoup by increasing the price of our homes. Government restrictions, standards, or regulations intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or potential climate change impacts are also likely to result in restrictions on land development in certain areas and may increase energy, transportation, or raw material costs, which could reduce our housing gross profit margins and adversely affect our results of operations. For example, as the risk of flooding in coastal and other flood prone areas increases or the results of climate change result in water scarcity, local governments may increase the requirements on new home builders for zoning approvals and restrict areas where new homes may be built, resulting in increased development costs and greater competition for more desirable land parcels. In addition, as local governmental authorities and utilities are required to spend increasing amounts of their resources responding to and remediating weather and climate-related events, their ability to provide approvals and service to new housing communities may be impaired.

Our success depends upon the skills, experience, and active participation of our senior management, many of whom have been with the Company for a significant number of years. If we were to lose members of our senior management, we might not be able to find appropriate replacements on a timely basis, and our operations could be negatively affected. Also, the loss of a significant number of operating employees in key roles or geographies where we are not able to hire qualified replacements could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The homebuilding industry is highly competitive for skilled labor. Labor shortages could limit the availability of construction labor. Additionally, the supply of certain building materials, especially lumber, wood-based materials such as roof and floor trusses and oriented strand boards, steel, resin, concrete, copper, and petroleum-based materials, could be limited by factors such as strong consumer demand, disruptions in the global supply chain, and major weather events at the point of manufacture of certain products. Supply constraints can also be further exacerbated by government policies that make it more difficult and/or expensive for suppliers to produce materials needed for our business. For instance, changes in laws, government regulations, or enforcement priorities, such as the imposition of tariffs (in particular on materials imported from Canada or Mexico) or other import or export restrictions, penalties or sanctions, including modification or elimination of international agreements covering trade or investment, or changes in immigration laws and/or their enforcement, could result in higher component costs, tighter overall labor conditions and a shortage of skilled tradespeople, which could in turn adversely affect our business. Several of these factors, along with the consolidation of ownership of the source of supply for certain building materials, could result in increases to the prices of some materials. Increased costs and shortages of labor and materials can cause increases in construction costs, and construction delays. We may not be able to pass on increases in construction costs to customers and generally are unable to pass on any such increases to customers who have already entered into sales contracts as those sales contracts generally fix the price of the home at the time the contract is signed, which may be well in advance of the construction of the home. Sustained increases in construction costs may, over time, erode our margins, and pricing competition may restrict our ability to pass on any such additional costs, thereby decreasing our margins.

The U.S. housing industry is highly competitive. Homebuilders compete for homebuyers in each of our markets with numerous national, regional, and local homebuilders on the basis of location, price, quality, reputation, design, community amenities, and our customers' overall sales and homeownership experiences. This competition with other homebuilders could reduce the number of homes we deliver or cause us to accept reduced margins to maintain sales volume. We also compete with resales of existing or foreclosed homes, housing speculators, and available rental housing. Increased competitive conditions in the residential resale or rental market in the regions where we operate could decrease demand for new homes or unfavorably impact pricing for new homes.

Our business strategy relies heavily on our reputation and brands, which are critical to our success. Unfavorable media or investor and analyst reports related to our industry, Company, brand, marketing, personnel, operations, business performance, or prospects may affect our stock price and the performance of our business, regardless of their accuracy or inaccuracy. Furthermore, the speed at which negative publicity is disseminated has increased dramatically through the use of electronic communication, including social media outlets, websites and other digital platforms. Our success in maintaining and enhancing our brand depends on our ability to adapt to this rapidly changing media environment. Adverse publicity or negative commentary from any media outlets could damage our reputation and reduce the demand for our homes, which would adversely affect our business. We can also be affected by poor relations with the residents of communities we develop because efforts made by us to resolve issues or disputes that may arise in connection with the operation or development of their communities, or in connection with the transition of a homeowners association, could be deemed unsatisfactory by the affected residents and subsequent actions by these residents could adversely affect sales or our reputation. In addition, we could decide or be required to make material expenditures related to the settlement of such issues or disputes, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Inflation can adversely affect us by increasing costs of land, materials, and labor. In addition, significant inflation is often accompanied by higher interest rates, which have had a negative impact on demand for our homes in recent years. In an inflationary environment like the one we experienced in years following the COVID-19 pandemic, economic conditions and other market factors may make it difficult for us to raise home prices enough to keep up with the rate of inflation, which could reduce our profit margins or reduce the number of consumers who can afford to purchase one of our homes. Heightened labor and material prices resulting from inflation can increase operational costs as well. If inflation persists or increases, we may not be able to adjust the pricing we charge for homes to offset these increased costs, which would adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, inflation through the broader economy, especially when combined with higher mortgage interest rates, can negatively impact home affordability and consumer sentiment and created significant volatility in demand for new housing.

The capital and credit markets can experience significant volatility. We may need credit-related liquidity for the future development of our business and other capital needs. Without sufficient liquidity, we may not be able to purchase additional land or develop land, which could adversely affect our financial results. At December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash of $2.0 billion as well as $892.9 million available under our revolving credit facility, which was amended effective February 4, 2026 to extend its maturity date to February 4, 2031, increase the total committed capacity to $1.75 billion, and expand the uncommitted accordion feature to $750 million, providing for potential capacity of $2.5 billion, subject to certain conditions and the availability of additional bank commitments ("Revolving Credit Facility"). However, our internal sources of liquidity and Revolving Credit Facility may prove to be insufficient, and, in such case, we may not be able to successfully obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Another source of liquidity is our ability to use letters of credit and surety bonds relating to certain performance-related obligations and as security for certain land option agreements and insurance programs. The majority of these letters of credit and surety bonds are in support of our land development and construction obligations to various municipalities, other government agencies, and utility companies related to the construction of roads, sewers, and other infrastructure. At December 31, 2025, we had outstanding letters of credit and surety bonds totaling $357.1 million and $3.1 billion, respectively. These letters of credit are generally issued via our unsecured Revolving Credit Facility, which contains certain financial covenants and other limitations. If we are unable to obtain letters of credit or surety bonds when required, or the conditions imposed by issuers increase significantly, our liquidity and cost of operations could be adversely affected.

We use information technology and other computer resources to conduct important operational activities and to maintain our business records. Our computer systems, including our back-up systems, are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches (through cyber-attacks from computer hackers and sophisticated organizations), catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, usage errors by our employees, or cyber-attacks or errors by third party vendors who could gain access to our confidential data or that of our customers, vendors, or employees. In particular, the frequency, severity and novelty of cyber-attacks on companies has increased significantly in recent years, including significant ransomware attacks and foreign attacks on prominent companies and computer software programs, as threat actors become increasingly sophisticated and employ techniques, including malicious uses of AI such as deepfakes, to launch attacks that are increasingly difficult to detect and defend against. We, like many organizations, have experienced and expect to continue to experience varying degrees of cybersecurity incidents in the course of our business, including phishing and social engineering intrusions which could lead, in turn, to ransomware attacks or other incidents that could impact our business. While to our knowledge we have not experienced a significant cybersecurity incident that has materially affected our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition in the last three years, and we are frequently working to improve our information technology systems and provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware, and other cyber risks to enhance our levels of protection, to the extent possible, against cyber risks and security breaches, and to enhance our monitoring to prevent, detect, contain, address, and mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, and other events that could have an impact on our business, there is no assurance that advances in computer capabilities, new technologies, methods, or other developments will detect or prevent security breaches and safeguard access to proprietary or confidential information or otherwise prevent material consequences for our business and reputation. If our computer systems and our back-up systems are damaged, breached, or cease to function properly, or if there are intrusions or failures of critical infrastructure such as the power grid or communications systems, we could suffer extended interruptions in our operations. Any such disruption could damage our reputation, result in lost customers, lost revenue, and market value declines, lead to legal proceedings against us by affected third parties resulting in penalties or fines, result in government investigations or related inquiries, and require us to incur significant costs to remediate or otherwise resolve these issues. In addition to direct cyber-attacks on, or other disruptions of, our systems, cyber-attacks on, or other disruptions of, the systems of our suppliers, financial service companies, service providers, and other parties on which we rely to conduct our business can result in their inability to provide services to us and impact our ability to conduct our business in the ordinary course. Breaches of our computer or data systems, including those operated by third parties on our behalf, could also result in the unintended public disclosure or the misappropriation of our proprietary information or personal and confidential information, about our employees, customers, and business partners, requiring us to incur significant expense to address and resolve. Improper conduct by our employees who have access to such information could also result in the misuse of such information. The misappropriation and/or release of confidential information may also lead to legal or regulatory proceedings against us by affected individuals or otherwise, and the outcome of such proceedings could include penalties or fines and require us to incur significant costs to remediate or otherwise resolve. Depending on its nature, a particular breach or series of breaches of our systems may result in the unauthorized use, appropriation or loss of confidential or proprietary information on a one-time or continuing basis, which may not be detected for a period of time. The costs of maintaining adequate protection and insurance against such threats, as they develop in the future (or as legal requirements related to data security increase), could be material. While we currently have insurance coverage for losses incurred as a result of cyber-attacks, there is no assurance that future coverage will not be restricted or become more costly. In addition, there is no assurance that any such insurance would make us whole for any losses incurred by our Company. If we suffer cybersecurity incidents or data security issues in the future, we could suffer material liabilities, our reputation could be materially damaged, and our operations could be materially disrupted.

We are in the process of a multi-year implementation of new enterprise resource planning systems ("ERP"). The ERP implementation will require the integration of the new ERP systems with multiple new and existing information systems and business processes and will be designed to accurately maintain our books and records and provide information to our management teams important to the operation of the business. Our ERP implementation will continue to require ongoing maintenance and monitoring. Conversion from our old systems to the new ERP systems may cause inefficiencies until the ERP systems are stabilized and mature. The implementation of our new ERP systems will mandate new procedures and certain modifications to our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, and it will take time for such procedures and controls to become mature in their operation. If we are unable to adequately implement and maintain procedures and controls relating to our new ERP systems, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired and impact our assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. The ERP implementation is costly and may not ultimately result in the operational benefits to the Company that are currently anticipated.