Short Interest in Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Declines By 21.7%

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,200 shares, a decline of 21.7% from the February 13th total of 14,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GHLD shares. Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guild

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bayview Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Guild by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Bayview Asset Management LLC now owns 1,595,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,517,000 after purchasing an additional 95,327 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Guild by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 674,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,521,000 after buying an additional 20,848 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Guild by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 628,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,870,000 after acquiring an additional 31,540 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Guild by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,864,000 after acquiring an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Guild by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 269,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,488,000 after acquiring an additional 13,668 shares in the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Guild Stock Performance

NYSE GHLD traded up $0.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $13.51. 10,521 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,577. Guild has a 52 week low of $11.21 and a 52 week high of $18.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $836.32 million, a P/E ratio of -8.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $12.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.10.

Guild Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s payout ratio is 64.94%.

About Guild

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.