HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES INC

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Check the appropriate box:

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

PROXY STATEMENT 2026 HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES, INC. 90 Matawan Road, Fifth Floor, Matawan, N.J. 07747 Tel: (732) 747-7800

PROXY STATEMENT

2026

THANK YOU for 2025

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND The 2026 ANNUAL MEETING of SHAREHOLDERS

WHICH WILL BE HELD ON Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 9:00AM ET AT THE OFFICES OF Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP 1450 BRICKELL AVENUE, 23RD FL, MIAMI, FL 33131

DEAR SHAREHOLDER:

Sincerely yours,

Ara K. Hovnanian Chairman of the Board

PROXY VOTING

METHODS

If at the close of business on January 30, 2026, you were a shareholder of record or held shares through a broker or bank, you may vote your shares as described below or you may vote in person at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

To reduce our administrative and postage costs, we would appreciate if shareholders of Class A Common Stock and registered shareholders of Class B Common Stock would please vote over the Internet or by telephone, both of which are available 24 hours a day. You may revoke your proxies at the times and in the manners described on page 17 of the Proxy Statement. If you are a shareholder of record or hold shares through a broker or bank and are voting by proxy, your vote must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on March 30, 2026 to be counted unless otherwise noted below.

Your Vote is Important — Thank You for Voting

TO VOTE BY PROXY:

**Shareholders of Class A Common Stock

& Shareholders of Class B Common Stock:

HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES, INC. NOTICE of ANNUAL MEETING of SHAREHOLDERS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

**That the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Hovnanian

Enterprises, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the

offices of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP, 1450 Brickell

Avenue, 23rd Floor, Miami, FL 33131 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time

FOR THE FOLLOWING MATTERS:

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR each of the nominees listed in proposal 1 and FOR proposals 2, 3 and 4.

Only shareholders of record at the close of business on January 30, 2026 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Accompanying this Notice is a proxy statement, proxy card(s) and the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2025.

To ensure your shares are voted, you may vote your shares over the Internet, by telephone or by requesting a paper proxy card to complete, sign and return by mail. Shares of Class B Common Stock held in nominee name will be entitled to ten votes per share only if the beneficial owner voting instruction card and the nominee proxy card relating to such shares are properly completed, mailed and received not less than three nor more than 20 business days prior to March 31, 2026. These voting procedures are described on pages 6 and 7 and on the proxy card.

All shareholders are urged to attend the meeting in person or by proxy. Shareholders who do not expect to attend the meeting are requested to complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly, or, if applicable, to register their vote via the Internet or by telephone according to the instructions on pages 6 and 7 and on the proxy card.

By order of the Board of Directors,

ELIZABETH D. TICE Secretary

February 9, 2026

TO

NOTE

If you are a shareholder of record and you plan to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, please mark the appropriate box on your proxy card or, if applicable, so indicate when designating a proxy via the Internet or by telephone. If your shares are held by a bank, broker or other intermediary and you plan to attend, please send written notice to our principal executive offices at Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., 90 Matawan Road, Fifth Floor, Matawan, New Jersey 07747, Attention: Elizabeth D. Tice, Secretary, and enclose evidence of your ownership (such as a letter from the bank, broker or other intermediary confirming your ownership or a bank or brokerage firm account statement). The names of all those planning to attend will be placed on an admission list held at the registration desk at the entrance to the meeting. In order to be admitted to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, you will need a form of personal identification (such as a driver’s license) along with your Notice, proxy card or proof of Common Stock ownership. If your shares are held beneficially in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record and you wish to be admitted to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, you must present proof of your ownership of our Common Stock, such as a bank or brokerage account statement. In addition, no cameras, recording equipment, electronic devices (including phones), large bags, briefcases or packages will be permitted at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders; any such items will be required to be checked in prior to being admitted to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. If you do not plan to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, please designate a proxy by mail or, if applicable, via the Internet or by telephone. If you choose to vote by mail, please complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card(s) and return it promptly so that your shares will be voted. If you have received a hard copy of the proxy materials, the enclosed envelope requires no postage if mailed in the United States.

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