PulteGroup Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PHM)

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PHM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wolfe Research lowered PulteGroup from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Raymond James boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.00.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

PHM stock opened at $130.30 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.62. PulteGroup has a twelve month low of $72.45 and a twelve month high of $149.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $137.44 and its 200-day moving average is $123.65.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 25.30% and a net margin of 16.64%. The business had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 12.98 EPS for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 17th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 17th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.83, for a total transaction of $9,573,873.81. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 89,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,043,420.09. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas J. Folliard sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.14, for a total transaction of $2,491,660.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 45,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,931,462.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 71,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.83, for a total value of $9,573,873.81. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 89,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,043,420.09. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in PulteGroup by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 27,269 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,289,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in PulteGroup by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 297,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,890,000 after acquiring an additional 17,369 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in PulteGroup by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 621,064 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,913,000 after acquiring an additional 28,774 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in PulteGroup by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 464,217 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,993,000 after acquiring an additional 5,022 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in PulteGroup by 34.4% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 679,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $81,901,000 after acquiring an additional 173,914 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.