Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of PulteGroup Call Options (NYSE:PHM)

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 9,941 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,498% compared to the typical volume of 622 call options.

PulteGroup Price Performance

NYSE PHM traded up $2.58 on Thursday, reaching $110.41. 2,626,484 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,833,688. The stock has a market cap of $22.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.67. PulteGroup has a 12 month low of $100.24 and a 12 month high of $149.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.25. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.64% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The company had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.90 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a positive change from PulteGroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. PulteGroup's payout ratio is 6.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PulteGroup

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 115.1% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 185 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Candriam S.C.A. bought a new stake in PulteGroup in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of PulteGroup by 1,059.3% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 313 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on PHM. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on PulteGroup from $198.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $150.00) on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com cut PulteGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded shares of PulteGroup from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $143.86.

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.