Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemHilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH – Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $35.01 and traded as high as $36.03. Hilltop shares last traded at $35.9050, with a volume of 526,463 shares.
Analyst Ratings Changes
HTH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Hilltop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilltop currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Hilltop
Hilltop Stock Down 0.1%
The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.11 and a 200 day moving average of $35.03.
Hilltop (NYSE:HTH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $217.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.15 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Hilltop Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.20 dividend. This is a boost from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is 30.19%.
Insider Activity at Hilltop
In other Hilltop news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total value of $999,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.98, for a total transaction of $9,866,102.58. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,788.66. This represents a 97.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 294,796 shares of company stock worth $11,225,619. 29.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hilltop during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Hilltop by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Hilltop during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilltop by 42.7% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.
About Hilltop
Hilltop Holdings, Inc (NYSE: HTH) is a Dallas, Texas–based financial holding company offering commercial banking, mortgage lending and capital markets services through its three primary subsidiaries: PlainsCapital Corporation, PrimeLending and HilltopSecurities. PlainsCapital provides deposit, lending and treasury management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professionals and individuals. PrimeLending specializes in home purchase and refinance loans, serving retail, wholesale and correspondent channels.