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

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 9,941 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,498% compared to the typical volume of 622 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PHM shares. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of PulteGroup from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $132.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $154.00 to $134.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on PulteGroup in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.25.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in PulteGroup by 281.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Rexford Capital Inc. acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the third quarter worth about $47,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE PHM opened at $127.81 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.31. PulteGroup has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $142.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.64. 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 (NYSE:PHM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The construction company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.10. PulteGroup had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 19.58%. The company had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.35 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This is a boost from PulteGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is presently 6.77%.

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.