By Katherine Hamilton and Adriano Marchese

Hovnanian Enterprises swung to a loss in its fiscal fourth quarter as the homebuilder is handing out more incentives to try to attract wary house-shoppers.

U.S. consumers are shying away from buying homes, as mortgage rates remain elevated and macroeconomic factors such as tariffs are creating anxiety about big-ticket purchases, Chief Executive Ara Hovnanian told analysts on a Thursday call. As a result, housing sales are slowing and the company is providing more incentives to entice customers, he said.

"Many potential buyers are still hesitant to move forward and enter contracts," Hovnanian said.

The Matawan, N.J., company posted a net loss of $667,000, or 51 cents a share, for the three months ended Oct. 31, compared with a profit of $94.3 million, or $12.79 a share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Its stock fell 20%, to $107.76, putting it on track for its largest percentage decrease since 2020.

To try to maintain a strong sales pace, the company offered more incentives, such as mortgage-rate buydowns, to try to attract buyers.

Incentives in the quarter accounted for 12.2% of the average sales price, squeezing margins. By comparison, incentives made up 8.5% of the average sales price in the fourth quarter of 2024.

"Mortgage-rate buydowns are an essential tool for unlocking affordability at the moment and driving demand," Hovnanian said.

Revenue declined about 17%, driven by a reduction in deliveries.

The company pulled out the stops to appeal to buyers, as contracts slowed by nearly 11%. Hovnanian Enterprises' neighborhoods sold fewer homes on average and consolidated contracts per community declined by 17%.

Hovnanian said the company is pushing what it calls quick move-in homes, which allow customers to use incentive programs and secure houses more quickly. Quick move-in homes made up 73% of the company's total sales in the quarter, above the historical norm of around 40%, Hovnanian said.

Selling more quick move-in homes means the company has fewer properties in its backlog, making it more difficult to forecast financial results far into the future, he said. Hovnanian Enterprises kept its financial guidance limited to the current quarter, despite entering a new fiscal year.

Management expects total revenue to be $550 million to $650 million, which would be an 11% year-over-year decline at the midpoint. It anticipates the adjusted homebuilding gross margin will be 13% to 14%.

Hovnanian said that, despite its challenges, its sales pace ranks as the fourth highest among all publicly traded homebuilders.

"I recognize, however, that it's sad to point out that we are one of the least bad in a difficult market," Hovnanian said.

Write to Katherine Hamilton at katherine.hamilton@wsj.com and Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Hovnanian Enterprises swung to a loss in the fourth quarter. "Hovnanian Enteprises Swings to Loss as Hesitant Homebuyers Squeeze Margins -- Update," at 1:08 p.m. ET, misstated the company's name in the headline.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 04, 2025 13:15 ET (18:15 GMT)

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