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

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 9,941 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,498% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,727. This represents a 16.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $266,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 56,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,026,879.65. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock worth $2,256,367 over the last ninety days. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. JNBA Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 322 shares of the construction company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 89.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on PHM shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $140.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of PulteGroup from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.86.

PulteGroup Stock Down 0.2 %

PHM stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $108.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,461,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,295,283. PulteGroup has a 1-year low of $100.54 and a 1-year high of $149.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.35, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $109.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.09.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 24.43%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. PulteGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.