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

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 9,941 call options on the stock. Thisisanincreaseof1,498% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $120.22 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.25. PulteGroup has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 15.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.83 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on PulteGroup from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on PulteGroup from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.15.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHM. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in PulteGroup in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.90% of the company’s stock.

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.