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

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PHM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on PulteGroup from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on PulteGroup from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PulteGroup currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.15.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock traded up $0.42 on Friday, hitting $116.45. 1,414,992 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,200,423. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $22.98 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.29. PulteGroup has a 1-year low of $88.07 and a 1-year high of $149.47. The company's fifty day moving average is $105.14 and its 200 day moving average is $105.03.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 15.50%. The business's revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PHM. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 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.