Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for UWM (NYSE:UWMC) Stock Price

UWM (NYSE:UWMC) had its price target decreased by Barclays from $7.00 to $6.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 35.93% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of UWM from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $5.00 price target on shares of UWM in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of UWM from $6.50 to $6.75 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $6.00 price objective on shares of UWM in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded UWM from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.24.

UWM Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UWMC opened at $4.41 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.57 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. UWM has a fifty-two week low of $3.79 and a fifty-two week high of $7.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $4.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.45.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $759.12 million. UWM had a negative return on equity of 1.33% and a net margin of 0.87%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UWM will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ishbia Mat sold 632,874 shares of UWM 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,330,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,348,052 shares of company stock worth $103,845,430. Company insiders own 87.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UWM

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UWMC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of UWM by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,959,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,042,000 after buying an additional 1,676,754 shares during the last quarter. Azora Capital LP lifted its holdings in UWM by 230.8% during the fourth quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 11,296,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,477,000 after purchasing an additional 7,881,586 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP purchased a new stake in UWM during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,867,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in UWM by 116.6% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,991,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,803,000 after purchasing an additional 3,224,806 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC purchased a new position in shares of UWM in the third quarter worth about $32,630,000. 53.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting UWM

Here are the key news stories impacting UWM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and volume beat — UWM reported roughly $945M in Q4 revenue and its highest quarterly loan origination volume since 2021, showing demand and market‑share execution that support topline momentum. Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced ($0.10/share; ~9% yield) — that payout can attract income‑oriented holders and provide a baseline of demand. Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst note roundups — recent analyst commentaries summarize mixed views after Q4; some maintain overweight/hold ratings while re‑setting targets. These pieces consolidate opinion but don’t move consensus decisively. Benzinga Analysts Roundup Yahoo: What Analysts Are Saying
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow spike — unusually high call buying was reported around earnings (large volume vs. average). This signals speculative positioning or hedging but is ambiguous for longer‑term direction. Options Activity
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and weak margins — reported EPS (~$0.06–$0.08) came below consensus (~$0.09) and net margin/ROE remain pressured; earnings disappointment was a primary trigger for selling. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Conservative, wide Q1 guidance — the $650M–$850M revenue band increases near‑term uncertainty and left some analysts and traders disappointed. Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Mat Ishbia sold a sizable block (~632,874 shares on Feb. 25; SEC filing), which amplified negative sentiment despite possible liquidity reasons. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Price target trims and market reaction — Barclays and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered targets to $6.00 and moved ratings to market‑perform/overweight; the cuts and the EPS miss helped trigger a sharp intraday selloff (reports of a ~12% plunge and a new 12‑month low). MSN: Stock Plunge

About UWM

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.