UWM (NYSE:UWMC) Shares Up 9.2% – What’s Next?

UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC)’s share price was up 9.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $5.38 and last traded at $5.36. Approximately 7,287,145 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 18,399,973 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.91.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered UWM from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. UBS Group lifted their target price on UWM from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of UWM in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UWM from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $6.00 price target on shares of UWM in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.53.

UWM Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.06). UWM had a net margin of 0.61% and a negative return on equity of 6.81%. The firm had revenue of $151.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.51 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UWM Holdings Corporation will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UWM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.8%.

Insider Transactions at UWM

In other UWM news, CEO Ishbia Mat sold 632,874 shares of UWM stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total value of $3,196,013.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 5,590,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,234,019.75. The trade was a 10.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 20,492,981 shares of company stock worth $107,832,958. 87.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UWM

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of UWM by 5,681.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 4,091 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of UWM by 408.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 4,344 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in UWM in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in UWM by 1,410.7% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 8,027 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in UWM during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 53.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UWM

United Wholesale Mortgage (NYSE: UWMC) is a leading mortgage lender in the United States specializing in the wholesale channel. The company partners with independent mortgage brokers, community banks and credit unions to offer a full suite of residential mortgage products. Through its network of third-party originators, United Wholesale Mortgage underwrites, funds and closes loans, allowing its partners to focus on customer acquisition and service.

The company’s product offerings include conventional fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgages, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, U.S.