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

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 9,941 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,498% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PHM shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on PulteGroup from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of PulteGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.69.

PulteGroup Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $103.34 on Thursday. PulteGroup has a 1-year low of $88.07 and a 1-year high of $149.47. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $99.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.10 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PulteGroup

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in PulteGroup by 43.0% in 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 in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the first quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.