Stock Traders Buy High Volume of PulteGroup Call Options (NYSE:PHM)

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

PulteGroup Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:PHM opened at $110.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $23.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. PulteGroup has a 12-month low of $68.80 and a 12-month high of $122.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.50.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.59 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.81% and a net margin of 16.63%. Analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.64 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on PHM shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on PulteGroup from $126.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Zelman & Associates raised PulteGroup from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on PulteGroup from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up previously from $120.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on PulteGroup from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.07.

Institutional Trading of PulteGroup

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SRN Advisors LLC grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 9,880 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 96,427 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,411,000 after acquiring an additional 2,866 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 25.9% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 15,253 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 128.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 94,588 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,409,000 after acquiring an additional 53,175 shares during the period. Finally, PGGM Investments grew its holdings in PulteGroup by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 135,834 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,384,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the period. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.