Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

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

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Hilltop from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Stephens raised their price objective on Hilltop from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Hilltop Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of HTH stock opened at $31.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.68 and a 200 day moving average of $31.23. Hilltop has a 52 week low of $26.78 and a 52 week high of $35.66.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.05. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 5.30%. The firm had revenue of $297.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $283.22 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hilltop will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Hill A. Feinberg sold 17,157 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.99, for a total transaction of $566,009.43. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 544,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,978,857.21. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 28.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 12.9% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Hilltop by 101.3% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 14,015 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Hilltop by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $826,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in Hilltop by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 101,926 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after acquiring an additional 7,102 shares during the period. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 43.2% during the 2nd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 116,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,632,000 after acquiring an additional 35,017 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.