UWM Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:UWMC)

UWM Holdings Co. (NYSE:UWMC - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 12,251 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 264% compared to the average volume of 3,362 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on UWM in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $6.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $4.00 target price on shares of UWM in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered UWM from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $6.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.59.

UWM Price Performance

UWMC traded up $0.35 on Thursday, reaching $6.45. The stock had a trading volume of 6,325,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,705,595. UWM has a fifty-two week low of $4.49 and a fifty-two week high of $7.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $6.80 and a 200-day moving average of $6.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $609.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.16 and a beta of 1.60.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.26). UWM had a return on equity of 2.45% and a net margin of 0.79%. The firm had revenue of ($114.58) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.14 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UWM will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

UWM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.20%. UWM's dividend payout ratio is currently -210.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UWM

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in UWM by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 221,204 shares of the company's stock worth $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,584 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in UWM by 0.3% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 496,610 shares of the company's stock worth $2,781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,684 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its holdings in UWM by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 22,438 shares of the company's stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in UWM by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,820 shares of the company's stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in UWM by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 54,741 shares of the company's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 2,344 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.59% of the company's stock.

About UWM

UWM Holdings Corporation engages in the residential mortgage lending business in the United States. The company offers mortgage loans through wholesale channel. It originates primarily conforming and government loans. UWM Holdings Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan.