Investors Purchase Large Volume of UWM Call Options (NYSE:UWMC)

UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 54,116 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 687% compared to the average volume of 6,879 call options.

UWM Stock Performance

NYSE:UWMC opened at $4.16 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.46. UWM has a fifty-two week low of $3.79 and a fifty-two week high of $7.14.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $945.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $759.12 million. UWM had a negative return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 0.61%. Research analysts anticipate that UWM will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UWM Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.6%.

More UWM News

Here are the key news stories impacting UWM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UWM declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share (record/ex‑div date Mar 19; payable Apr 9), implying a high ~9.6% yield that may attract income-focused buyers. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Top-line beat: UWM reported Q4 revenue of ~$945.3M vs. consensus ~ $759.1M, showing stronger origination volume/fee revenue than expected — a constructive sign for franchise cash flow. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~54,116 call contracts (≈+687% vs typical volume), indicating speculative bullish interest that can amplify intraday volatility. (Market data report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: coverage notes that easing interest rates helped UWM late in 2025, which supports originations and margins if the rate environment persists. Crain’s: Lower Rates Help UWM
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst snapshot: the Street remains mostly “Hold” (consensus target ~$6.53), so expectations are mixed and any guidance swings may matter more than upgrades. Analyst Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss: UWM reported Q4 EPS of $0.08 vs. the $0.09 consensus and showed weak profitability metrics (net margin ~0.61%, negative ROE), which can pressure valuation multiple. Zacks: Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 revenue guidance trimmed: UWM set Q1 revenue guidance of ~$650M–$850M versus consensus ~$816.5M — the lower end of the range and the wide band increase uncertainty and may signal cautious origination expectations. Guidance in Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Mat Ishbia executed a sizable sale (632,874 shares at ~$4.03 on Feb 25), trimming his stake materially; repeated large insider sales this month can be perceived negatively by investors. SEC Form 4

Insider Activity at UWM

In related news, CEO Ishbia Mat sold 632,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total value of $2,550,482.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,330,659 shares in the company, valued at $13,422,555.77. The trade was a 15.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 20,785,125 shares of company stock worth $106,402,307 over the last quarter. 87.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of UWM by 5,681.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,091 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in UWM by 408.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 4,344 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in UWM during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UWM by 1,410.7% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 8,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of UWM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 53.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UWMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut UWM from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on UWM from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $4.40 price target on UWM in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $5.00 price target on shares of UWM in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of UWM from $6.50 to $6.75 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UWM presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.46.

UWM Company Profile

United Wholesale Mortgage (NYSE: UWMC) is a leading mortgage lender in the United States specializing in the wholesale channel. The company partners with independent mortgage brokers, community banks and credit unions to offer a full suite of residential mortgage products. Through its network of third-party originators, United Wholesale Mortgage underwrites, funds and closes loans, allowing its partners to focus on customer acquisition and service.

The company’s product offerings include conventional fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgages, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, U.S.