UWM (NYSE:UWMC) Upgraded by Stephens to "Hold" Rating

Key Points

• Stephens upgraded UWM to a "Hold", and analysts' consensus is also a Hold with a $5.99 average price target (3 Buys, 8 Holds, 1 Sell).
• In its most recent quarter UWM reported EPS of $0.08 (missing by $0.01) but revenue of $945.3M (beating estimates), while the stock trades around $3.79 with a market cap of $6.06B and a 1‑year range of $3.38–$7.14.
• Insiders have been selling heavily: CEO Ishbia sold about 1,000,574 shares at ~$3.70 and insiders sold ~27.4M shares in the past 90 days, though insiders still hold roughly 87.5% of shares.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Stephens to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on UWMC. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of UWM from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of UWM from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on UWM from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Compass Point assumed coverage on UWM in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $8.50 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded UWM from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.99.

UWM Price Performance

Shares of UWMC opened at $3.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 63.08 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.82. UWM has a 1-year low of $3.38 and a 1-year high of $7.14.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $945.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $759.12 million. UWM had a net margin of 0.87% and a negative return on equity of 1.35%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that UWM will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ishbia Mat sold 1,000,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.70, for a total value of $3,702,123.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,335,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,939,585.10. This represents a 8.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,400,916 shares of company stock valued at $112,469,538. Corporate insiders own 87.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in UWM by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,959,442 shares of the company's stock worth $83,042,000 after buying an additional 1,676,754 shares during the period. Azora Capital LP boosted its holdings in UWM by 230.8% in the 4th quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 11,296,053 shares of the company's stock worth $49,477,000 after buying an additional 7,881,586 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new position in UWM in the 4th quarter worth $45,867,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in UWM by 116.6% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,991,072 shares of the company's stock worth $24,803,000 after buying an additional 3,224,806 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new position in UWM in the 3rd quarter worth $32,630,000. Institutional investors own 53.59% of the company's stock.

About UWM

United Wholesale Mortgage NYSE: UWMC is a leading mortgage lender in the United States specializing in the wholesale channel. The company partners with independent mortgage brokers, community banks and credit unions to offer a full suite of residential mortgage products. Through its network of third-party originators, United Wholesale Mortgage underwrites, funds and closes loans, allowing its partners to focus on customer acquisition and service.

The company’s product offerings include conventional fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgages, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, U.S.

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