D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI), Toll Brothers Inc (TOL): Are These Housing Stocks Good Investments After the Liquidity Crunch?

Hot-selling homebuilder stocks such as D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI), Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL), and Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) have seen a fantastic rally last year amid increasing signs of a recovering U.S. economy. However, as every rally must come to an end, Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke acted to put an abrupt end to the rally in these stocks by sending clear signs that the expansionary monetary policy at the central bank will soon come to an end. This means that the era of low interest rates will be soon in our rearview mirrors and the road to economic recovery will become rockier. It is not rocket science to see that the housing sector – one of the biggest users of loans – stands to lose momentum. Here is a closer look at these star performers that might still deserve to be in your stock portfolio.

D.R. Horton’s future earnings

Particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, shares of Texas-based D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) dropped 11.7 percent last week alone. The stock currently trades at compelling valuations, and if it was not for the Fed’s move this stock could easily be qualified as a value buy. Available at a price to earnings ratio of 7, this housing heavyweight has retracted 24% from its 52 week high last month. At a debt equity ratio of 0.9, it is not a highly leveraged company. However, analysts predict its future earnings will be lower than what it earned in 2012. This is reflected in the forward price earnings ratio of 12.4, which is higher than the same metric for the trailing 12 months. The company builds middle class homes, and as such has a higher sensitivity to interest rates as most of its homes are sold on loans.

Lennar is down 17 percent

Florida-based builder of single family homes Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) has lost nearly 17 percent of its valuation in the last month. At the start of the year, the stock was valued at $37.60 and went on to scale its 52 week high of $43.90 in May. However, it has pared most of the gains accumulated in 2013. The company offers an attractive proposition in the form of forward price to earnings ratio of 14.9, but it has a relatively high debt equity ratio of 1.5. Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN)’s focus is on smaller homes fit for single families. This set of buyers is never going to go out of the market, which makes the stock immune to the wild swings that some of its peers witness. At the same time, increased borrowing costs are likely to limit sales of new homes. This stands to eventually bring the company’s valuations in line with market realities.