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

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in 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. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 49,869 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,454,000 after buying an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in PulteGroup by 262.1% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,085 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 8,024 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 83.8% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $665,000 after acquiring an additional 2,873 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in PulteGroup by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 6,881 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM opened at $129.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $25.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $123.38 and its 200-day moving average is $124.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $142.11.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The construction company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 19.58%. PulteGroup’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.35 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.26 dividend. This is an increase from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is presently 8.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PHM. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $111.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $144.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on PulteGroup in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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.