Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of PulteGroup Call Options (NYSE:PHM)

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. 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.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In related news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.51, for a total value of $542,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,165,521.51. This represents a 31.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan Marshall sold 111,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.86, for a total transaction of $14,891,925.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 659,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,266,213.12. This represents a 14.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 149,952 shares of company stock valued at $20,162,165. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 20.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,517 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its position in PulteGroup by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 30,366 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,202,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in PulteGroup by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 49,156 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,856 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in PulteGroup by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 29,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,135,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in PulteGroup by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 133,104 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $14,037,000 after buying an additional 15,876 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

PulteGroup Price Performance

Shares of PHM stock opened at $117.00 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $131.12 and its 200-day moving average is $127.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.52, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.32. PulteGroup has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $144.49.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 9.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised PulteGroup from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $134.00 to $143.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.71.

PulteGroup Company Profile

PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs.

PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities.