PulteGroup Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:PHM)

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PHM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded PulteGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on PulteGroup from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of PulteGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $162.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PulteGroup stock opened at $105.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $21.42 billion, a PE ratio of 7.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $111.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.63. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $101.13 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is 5.98%.

Insider Transactions at PulteGroup

In other news, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $372,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. The trade was a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PHM. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in PulteGroup by 17.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 565 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 5,002 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $718,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of PulteGroup by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 622 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in PulteGroup by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.