UWM Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:UWMC)

UWM Holdings Co. (NYSE:UWMC) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 17,624 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 366% compared to the average daily volume of 3,780 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UWMC shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of UWM from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of UWM in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price (up previously from $6.00) on shares of UWM in a report on Friday, May 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.94.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UWM

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in UWM by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,842,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,886,000 after acquiring an additional 28,071 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in UWM by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,126,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,202,000 after acquiring an additional 81,799 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in UWM during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,705,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UWM by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 287,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 9,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of UWM by 1,743.3% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 239,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,662,000 after purchasing an additional 226,819 shares during the last quarter. 53.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UWM Stock Performance

Shares of UWMC opened at $7.92 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $756.99 million, a PE ratio of 264.00 and a beta of 1.64. UWM has a 52-week low of $4.49 and a 52-week high of $8.34.

UWM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 20th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 20th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.05%. UWM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,333.33%.

UWM Company Profile

UWM Holdings Corporation engages in the residential mortgage lending business in the United States. The company offers mortgage loans through wholesale channel. It originates primarily conforming and government loans. UWM Holdings Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan.