Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM)

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

Insider Buying and Selling at PulteGroup

In other PulteGroup news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,026,879.65. The trade was a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.50, for a total value of $1,617,841.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,727. This trade represents a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367 in the last 90 days. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PHM. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position 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 bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 43.0% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 349 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PulteGroup Stock Performance

Shares of PHM stock traded down $2.93 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $102.91. 629,013 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,185,974. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $101.13 and a fifty-two week high of $149.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.22. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 17.18%. Analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PHM. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered PulteGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.86.

About PulteGroup

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.