Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Hilltop from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hilltop from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $34.50.

Hilltop Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of HTH stock opened at $30.50 on Monday. Hilltop has a 12 month low of $26.78 and a 12 month high of $35.66. The firm has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.25 and a 200-day moving average of $30.96.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $297.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.22 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 5.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Hilltop’s payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In related news, Director Hill A. Feinberg sold 3,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.91, for a total value of $112,940.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $299,100. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 28.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilltop by 36.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 2,840 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Hilltop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $817,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Hilltop by 29.9% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 2,370 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Hilltop by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 13,446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 48,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,702,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

About Hilltop

Hilltop Holdings Inc provides business and consumer banking services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, term, agricultural and commercial real estate, equipment loans, and other lending products; and mortgage, commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance.