The company cited the recent surge in home buying for its earnings beat
PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) has emerged from the earnings confessional boasting third-quarter earnings and revenue that bested analysts' expectations. The homebuilder cited the recent home buying frenzy, due to record-low mortgage rates. PulteGroup also posted a 36% jump in orders -- an indicator of future demand -- to 8,202 homes, also topping estimates.
At last check, PHM is up 0.7% at $45.60, pivoting higher after several weeks of downside. In fact, the security spent several sessions consolidating below its Oct. 9 record high of $49.70 before pulling back, though it looks like the 70-day moving average may have swooped in as last-minute support on the charts yesterday. For the year, the stock is up nearly 17%.
Despite these record highs, some analysts still aren't convinced. Seven of the 12 in coverage consider PHM a "hold." On the other hand, the 12-month consensus price target of $50.71 is a 12.1% premium to last night's close, and represents a level not yet touched by the security.
It looks like there's been an uptick in short-term put buying in the options pits. This is per PHM's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.19, which stands higher than 87% of readings from the past 12 months, suggesting these short-term option traders have rarely been more put-biased.