Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.50.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th.

Hilltop Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:HTH opened at $38.59 on Wednesday. Hilltop has a 12-month low of $27.35 and a 12-month high of $39.12. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $35.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.73. The firm has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.94.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The business had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a boost from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,200 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total value of $77,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,220. This trade represents a 20.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Hilltop in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Hilltop by 42.7% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.