PulteGroup Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PHM)

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 9,941 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,498% compared to the average volume of 622 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,191 shares of PulteGroup 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 owns 74,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,727. The trade was a 16.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brien P. O’meara sold 3,500 shares of PulteGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $372,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,980.80. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,191 shares of company stock valued at $2,256,367. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 125,174 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,631,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 99.4% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 4,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $168,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,223,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PulteGroup Stock Up 0.2 %

PHM opened at $105.33 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $108.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. PulteGroup has a one year low of $100.54 and a one year high of $149.47.

PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The construction company reported $3.50 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PulteGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. PulteGroup’s payout ratio is currently 5.98%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 6.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PHM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $135.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $146.00 to $119.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.