Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM)

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 9,941 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,498% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $104.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.36, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.24. PulteGroup has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 22.86% and a net margin of 16.45%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.10 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PulteGroup

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in PulteGroup in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in PulteGroup by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $151.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on PulteGroup from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.69.

PulteGroup Company Profile

PulteGroup, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, and American West brand names.