Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

by · The Cerbat Gem

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HTH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Hilltop from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Hilltop from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilltop currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.50.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on HTH

Hilltop Price Performance

NYSE:HTH opened at $31.18 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $31.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.19. Hilltop has a 1-year low of $26.78 and a 1-year high of $35.66. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23 and a beta of 1.13.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $297.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hilltop will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In other Hilltop news, Director Hill A. Feinberg sold 17,157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.99, for a total transaction of $566,009.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 544,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,978,857.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 28.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 91.1% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 3,902 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $275,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 9,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilltop

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories