M.D.C. (NYSE:MDC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MDC - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 869,143 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the previous session's volume of 1,895,440 shares.The stock last traded at $62.98 and had previously closed at $62.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MDC shares. Raymond James reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of M.D.C. in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com began coverage on M.D.C. in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI downgraded M.D.C. from an "outperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and raised their target price for the company from $57.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $52.13.

M.D.C. Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 9.76 and a quick ratio of 3.92. The stock has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.70 and a 200 day moving average of $53.60.

M.D.C. (NYSE:MDC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The construction company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.06. M.D.C. had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 8.64%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David E. Blackford sold 6,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.69, for a total value of $388,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,534 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $848,446.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 23.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On M.D.C.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in M.D.C. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 34,954 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,931,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its position in M.D.C. by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 15,308 shares of the construction company's stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Arden Trust Co increased its position in M.D.C. by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Arden Trust Co now owns 4,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of M.D.C. by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 640 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of M.D.C. by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 5,353 shares of the construction company's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.08% of the company's stock.

M.D.C. Company Profile

M.DC Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the homebuilding and financial service businesses. Its homebuilding operations include purchasing finished lots or developing lots for the construction and sale primarily of single-family detached homes to first-time and first-time move-up homebuyers under the Richmond American Homes name.